Health & Human Services committee approves contracts, seasonal hires and youth funding

The Cayuga County Health and Human Services committee approved a group of routine and programmatic resolutions Tuesday that authorize contracts for home-based care, add seasonal clerical staff for the winter fuel (HEAP) season, accept $230,591 in state summer youth employment funding and approve other public-health and social-services positions.

Committee members said the bundle of measures directly supports ongoing service delivery for aging residents, people eligible for Medicaid personal-care assistance and low-income households that rely on HEAP. Several votes were voice votes and carried with committee assent; one resolution creating new ‘help’ classification positions was pulled to be reworded and returned at the next meeting.

Most significant actions

- Approval of the committee minutes from the May 14 meeting. - HH 8 and HH 9: Contract changes with Access to Home and Turner's Helping Seniors LLC to add funding streams for existing providers that supply in-home aid and respite services for older adults. The committee bundled HH 8 and HH 9 and approved them by voice vote. - HH 3: Authorization to fill three seasonal clerk positions to support HEAP processing. The seasonal positions will work 24 weeks at 35 hours per week; the department described HEAP as a high-touch program that serves about 6,500 households in the county each season. The county reported an October–April HEAP allocation of about $188,000 for the 2024–25 season, with roughly $42,000 used for in-house administrative claims the past season. - HH 4: Acceptance of $230,591 in New York State Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) funds. County staff said the allocation should fund employment for about 65–75 youth working 25–30 hours per week at minimum wage and that the program has existing employer worksites available. - HH 5: Contract with Access to Home Care Services, Inc., to provide Medicaid-covered personal care aide (PCA) services (housekeeping, meal prep, bathing and related supports). The department said PCA services are reimbursed at state-set Medicaid rates and that this contract lets the vendor operate in-county. - HH 7: Authorization to fill a social-welfare examiner (management) position overseeing temporary assistance, SNAP, Medicaid, HEAP and daycare eligibility functions; funding for the position is included in the 2025 budget and the committee approved the hire. - HH 1: Contract with Core Nurse for a registered nurse to accompany a preschool child with medical needs. The contract rate cited in committee discussion was $71 per hour; staff noted standard reimbursement rules apply and that county share would reflect mandated program cost-sharing. - HH 2: Acceptance of public-health preparedness contract funds to help offset staff and contract costs for mandatory preparedness work.

Pulled and pending

- HH 6 was pulled from the floor because committee and human-resources staff are still finalizing language needed to create noncompetitive ‘‘help’’-designated caseworker titles that the state must approve. Staff said five caseworker titles have been classified by civil service and the committee will return with corrected resolution language to create and fund those specific positions.

Context and background

Committee staff described HEAP as a program requiring frequent case processing and vendor matches; they said the county processed most HEAP applications through an alternate certifier last season and that the program’s administrative component retains a local share despite federal or state benefit coverage. The county also noted that the seasonal clerks historically return year to year and that seasonal unemployment eligibility questions were discussed.

Votes at the meeting were taken by voice for these items and carried; public discussion and staff presentations accompanied several resolutions. Where funding amounts were discussed, committee members cited the amounts above as drawn from staff presentations and the county’s fiscal notes.

Ending

Committee members asked staff to return next month with corrected language on the ‘‘help’’ caseworker positions (HH 6). Staff also announced ongoing work on intake-office moves and administrative logistics related to DSS office locations.