October 9, 2003 - SRS Consolidates Administrative Regions Move will save money and improve services

Topeka – Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services Secretary Janet Schalansky announced today that the Department is implementing a BEST (Budget Efficiency Savings Team) recommendation to consolidate its administrative regions from 11 to six (see attached map.)

The consolidation is eventually expected to generate annual savings of between $1 million and $2 million from reductions in operating overhead and personnel costs through attrition. The consolidation will not result in any layoffs.

"Through the BEST process, I have challenged all state agencies to pursue more efficient ways of doing business while at the same time improving services to Kansans," Governor Sebelius said. "By carefully reviewing the way in which services are being delivered, Secretary Schalansky has developed a plan to reduce administrative overhead so that more of the agency’s people and resources can be committed to helping Kansans."

Schalansky said that a statewide review of SRS’ operations revealed that the concentration of social-service caseloads has shifted in recent years, creating a disparity in some regions between the need for services and the number of caseworkers available to provide them. She said the agency needs more people doing direct service and fewer people serving in administrative capacities.

"These changes are being made to increase the Department’s efficiency, but they also will allow us to concentrate our resources where they are most needed," Schalansky said. "Customer needs vary from one region of the state to another, sometimes dramatically. Redefining our management areas will provide us with more flexibility to anticipate and respond to the specific needs of customers and communities in each region."

Some staff will assume new roles designed to foster better working relationships between SRS and local social service agencies in communities across the state. Others will return to working directly with the agency’s customers.

The new administrative structure will be phased in, with all changes scheduled to be in place by fiscal year 2005. A team of SRS employees will finalize the details of the consolidation plan and oversee its implementation.

The consolidation of SRS’ field operations is part of the Department’s ongoing efficiency and service delivery redesign process. This ongoing initiative has closed 26 county offices with 37 additional offices set to close by June 2005. The consolidation of staff into strategically located service centers has created the opportunity to establish over 300 "SRS Access Points" in communities across the state.

The Access Points and the new approach to service delivery allow SRS to be more accessible to Kansans and meet customer needs in more individualized ways. The Access Point locations were selected after consultation with community partners to provide customers with access to services in convenient, non-traditional locations, from public libraries to community mental health centers.

More than 250 of these Access Points will be referred to as Service Access Points where SRS customers can either meet with SRS staff by appointment or access SRS services. Nearly 90 other Access Points are Information Access Points which offer Kansans the opportunity to find out more about SRS services. In addition to utilizing the Access Points when meetings are necessary, on occasion it may be more convenient for SRS staff to meet with the customer in his or her own home or at the local coffee shop.

Though some local officials were initially opposed to the changes, many now believe SRS customers are being better served.

"I was flat mad at first," said Coffey County Commissioner Gene Merry referring to SRS’ decision to close its Burlington office. "But I was wrong. Services are being delivered better. People have more access to programs. And they don’t have to pull up in front of the welfare office to get them."

To further increase access to services, SRS is establishing for the first time, a toll-free telephone number at 1-888-369-4777. As a result, Kansans who have scarce resources already will not be required to make long-distance phone calls in order to access the opportunity for services.

Since 1992, SRS has reduced its number of full-time employees by 3,000 from 9,000 to 6,000. To stay within its allotted budget for salaries, the agency currently is holding another 864 positions vacant. That amounts to one of every seven budgeted positions.

A map showing the Access Points, including details of services that are provided at each one, can be found on the SRS web site, www.srskansas.org