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Kandiyohi County staff outline EVA AI phone‑assistant pilot for Health & Human Services
Summary
Health & Human Services Director Caroline Khan and IT staff presented EVA, an AI‑powered phone assistant from TIBCO, proposing EVA Phone and EVA Interview modules to improve access, language support and intake efficiency; staff said MDH reimbursement options and a 12‑week rollout will be evaluated before a contract returns to the board.
County health and IT staff described a plan on Jan. 20, 2026, to pilot EVA, an AI‑powered phone assistant (TIBCO) for Health & Human Services that would answer common questions 24/7, provide first‑language responses, perform structured interviews for benefits intake and produce transcriptions for staff review.
Caroline Khan, director of Health & Human Services, said the proposed rollout would start with EVA Phone and EVA Interview for HHS programs, covering financial assistance, child support and intake interviews. "EVA asks smart questions to help callers understand what they need and connects callers to the right staff or resources," Khan said. Staff proposed 37 licenses for selected teams and described a joint‑powers contracting approach with schools and Minnesota Department of Health for related programs.
Khan and IT staff described technical controls and content sourcing: EVA would only provide information the county supplies and would be configured to source from approved local and state guidance. Khan said a 12‑week development window is typical for deployment, and that pre‑paying two years could maximize federal participation (FFP) reimbursement while that reimbursement rate is scheduled to decrease.
Commissioners asked about data collection, scope, workload changes and where EVA would sit in the call flow. IT staff said EVA would be the front end of the HHS phone number with the existing phone tree retained as a backup, and that EVA can handle multiple simultaneous calls and interviews. Staff estimated EVA could shift about 30 staff hours per month away from rights‑and‑responsibilities readings and similar tasks, and that vendor metrics from other jurisdictions project notable workload savings; staff said they would return with measured local estimates.
No purchase action was taken Jan. 20; staff said a formal contract and a more detailed implementation plan will be brought back to the board for authorization.
