Staff briefs board on state-funded disaster case-management RFP; county may apply

Supervisor (speaker 1) introduced Laurie Elam, who explained that the state has issued an RFP for disaster case advocacy/case management. Elam said the role includes outreach to affected families, intake screening, assistance with completing state assistance applications, referrals to partner organizations, and uploading applicant data into the state system for processing. "If there is a disaster and it has to be declared by the governor, the disaster proclamation, then we would start in, action and contacting families," she said.

Elam emphasized the RFP is fully state-funded and "will not cost the county any money," but staff are watching indirect-cost caps the state may impose (the state has proposed indirect-cost limits this year, possibly as low as 5%). She said the county would likely hire one contracted position to oversee operations if the county is selected, and the county is exploring volunteer support (Community Emergency Response Team members) and short-term 0.5 FTE surge staffing to handle initial demand.

Board questions focused on the funding structure, eligibility for reimbursable services, and whether the county would incur any start-up costs; staff reiterated the state would reimburse the program and that the county is including a 0.5-time surge allowance in the budget under contingency. Staff will update the board if the county submits a proposal and if the RFP details change.