North Carolina § 108A-26 - 5. NC FAST caseworker training and certification program.

§ 108A-26. 5. NC FAST caseworker training and certification program.

The Department of Health and Human Services (Department) shall design and implement a training and certification program for caseworkers utilizing North Carolina Families Accessing Services Through Technology (NC FAST). The training and certification program shall be available on a statewide basis, and the Department shall provide training to caseworkers at county departments of social services at a location within reasonable travel distance from the county departments of social services multiples times per year. No later than 18 months after the Department has implemented the training and certification program, the Department shall require all caseworkers inputting data or making determinations for eligibility for State programs through NC FAST to be certified. A certification may last no longer than three years before an individual is required to be recertified. The Department may adopt and amend rules to implement this training and certification program. History (2017-57, s. 11H.22(g).) Editor's Note. - Session Laws 2017-57, s. 11H.22(g) was codified as this section at the direction of the Revisor of Statutes. Session Laws 2017-57, s. 11H.22(h)-(j), provides: "(h) No later than 18 months after the Department has implemented the training and certification program under subsection (g) of this section [G.S. 108A-26.5], the Department shall include in its audits required under G.S. 108A-70.46 a verification that all county departments of social services are in compliance with the certification program requirements for individuals involved in the Medicaid eligibility determination process. "(i) No later than March 1, 2018, the Department shall submit to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services, the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Medicaid and NC Health Choice, and the Fiscal Research Division a report on the implementation of the training and certification program required under this section. The report shall include the following: "(1) A detailed outline of what the training and certification program will entail, including how many hours of training will be required for certification, how frequently recertification will be required, and how often training will be provided by the Department to the county departments of social services. "(2) A plan of implementation of the training and certification program, including a specific time line of implementation. "(3) Anticipated costs to the Department, as well as any costs to the county department of social services, of implementing the training and certification program. This should include an identification of any additional resources required by the Department or a county department of social services in order to implement the training and certification program. "(4) Any other information the Department is able to provide regarding the training and certification program development." "(j) The Department of Health and Human Services may adopt and amend rules to implement this section." Session Laws 2017-57, s. 11H.22(k) made this section effective June 28, 2017. Session Laws 2019-240, s. 24(a)-(e), provides: "(a) The Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Social Services, shall postpone deployment of the North Carolina Families Accessing Services through Technology (NC FAST) system as it relates to case-management functionality for the child welfare system and aging and adult services' programs. The Division shall not deploy the child welfare case-management component of the NC FAST system statewide prior to July 1, 2020, but shall instead continue to develop and improve case-management functionality for the child welfare component of NC FAST only in those counties that participated in the initial pilot program prior to January 1, 2019. "(b) Counties that were phased-in the NC FAST Child Welfare System after January 1, 2019, may elect to opt out of the utilization of the Intake and Assessment functionality of the NC FAST system. "(c) The Division shall move forward with developing and issuing requests for information (RFIs) to consider a vehicle for improving or replacing the child welfare case-management component of NC FAST, but shall not issue any contracts without prior approval from the General Assembly. To ensure the request for information includes areas of greatest concerns to the pilot counties, the Division shall consult with the Executive Committee of the North Carolina Association of County Directors of Social Services. The Department shall report to the chairs of the Senate Committee on Health Care, the chairs of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services, the chairs of the House of Representatives Committee on Health, and the chairs of the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services no later than May 1, 2020. "(d) The Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Oversight Committee shall revise the biennial 2019-2020 work plan for the Program Evaluation Division to include a study of the case-management functionality of the child welfare component of NC FAST. The Program Evaluation Division shall submit its evaluation to the Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Oversight Committee and to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services no later than May 1, 2020. "(e) This section is effective when it becomes law." PART 2. WORK FIRST PROGRAM.