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Sherburne County HHS describes call‑volume surge, staffing pivots and short‑term steps to reduce voicemail backlog
Summary
Sherburne County HHS told the board that post‑COVID Medicaid unwinding, higher caseloads and an outdated state eligibility system have driven a surge in calls; staff explained operational changes that have reduced voicemail backlogs.
Sherburne County Health and Human Services (HHS) staff described ongoing strains on income‑maintenance operations at the March 6 meeting and outlined a series of operational changes intended to reduce caller wait times and voicemail backlogs.
Amanda (HHS) and Gina Anderson, Economic Supports Manager, told commissioners that changes tied to the end of COVID continuous coverage — the "health care unwinding" — plus higher overall caseloads and frequent changes to eligibility rules have doubled workloads compared with pre‑pandemic levels. Gina said Sherburne County enrollees rose from about 13,708 in 2019 to a peak in 2023 of roughly 21,642, and then began to decline as renewals proceeded.
HHS said the county reorganized phone intake in 2019 to separate status‑only inquiries from eligibility processing and later created a dedicated team of six office support staff (called the "Zingers" for the guiding technology) to handle status calls. Staffing paid from ARPA that supported additional case aids concluded in December; the county received an allocation from the state to help retain some positions and to fund migration to a new caseworks platform scheduled to go live at the end of the month.
Because of persistent call volumes, staff described several pivots: moving from a shared case‑banking model to individual case assignments for better continuity; splitting one full case aid FTE into two part‑time roles to better cover busy hours; and temporarily pausing phone intake from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. to allow support staff to return voicemails. Staff reported that within the last week the voicemail return window improved from up to two weeks down to about 48 hours for many messages.
Current metrics cited by staff: an average of about 4,600 incoming income‑maintenance calls per month, with roughly 50% answered live, 20% leaving voicemail and 30% disconnecting or hanging up. Average hold time was reported at about 10 minutes with outliers longer during peak periods; voicemail callback time ranged from two days to two weeks in busier periods.
Commissioners and staff discussed the role of state systems and rule changes in creating workload pressure. HHS staff and commissioners said the eligibility platform is state‑owned and antiquated; several commissioners noted statewide advocacy for system modernization and encouraged continued engagement with state delegations. Board members suggested using on‑hold messaging to share guidance and encourage constituent advocacy; HHS staff said they already provide information on alternative document submission methods and are open to additional messaging.
No formal board action was requested during the update. HHS said it will continue to monitor the impact of the intake pause and report back to the board.
