Committee backs DPH acceptance of state vocational rehabilitation grant

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Budget & Finance Committee on Sept. 7 recommended that the full Board approve a resolution authorizing the Department of Public Health (DPH) to retroactively accept and expend approximately $270,000 from the California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) for the State Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program for the period July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2019.

Jenny Hoa, vocational program manager for behavioral health services at DPH, told the committee the proposal includes two actions: board approval for a new three-year agreement with DOR that allows county matching funds to be used to draw federal dollars, and acceptance of DOR grant funds to support a civil service coordinator position for vendors delivering the services. Hoa said the state can match county funds with federal funds at a 4-to-1 ratio, meaning the county match is about 21.3 percent and “The department pays only 21% of the budget.”

Budget analyst Mr. Rose summarized the funding in the board file: the DOR program for the city totals roughly $11.26 million in direct state funding to contractors plus the grant funds to DPH that are the subject of the resolution; he recommended approval. Committee members raised no substantive questions. Supervisor Katie Tang moved to forward the resolution with a positive recommendation to the full Board, and Supervisor Norman Yee seconded; the committee took the motion without objection.

The recommendation will be considered by the full Board at its Sept. 13 meeting.