Collection Instruments - State & Local Agencies

Enhancing Food Stamp Certification: 11/13/07

APPENDIX B-2

LOCAL FSP OFFICE INTERVIEWS
DISCUSSION GUIDE

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Local Food Stamp Office Administrators and Staff

Introduction/Purpose of the Study
My name is _______________ and I’m a researcher from the Urban Institute, an organization
based in Washington, D.C. that conducts policy-related research on a variety of social welfare
and economic issues. I’m here today because the Urban Institute was awarded a contract by the
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service to conduct a major study of the
range of efforts states are undertaking to enhance food stamp certification and to modernize the
FSP. This study focuses on four types of modernization efforts: policy changes to modernize
FSP application (case management and recertification procedures), reengineering of
administrative functions, increased or enhanced use of technology, and partnering arrangements
with businesses and nonprofit organizations. The goals of the study are to develop a
comprehensive, national inventory of FSP modernization efforts, both large and small,
undertaken in all the states; identify successful modernization efforts across the country that can
potentially be replicated; and help avoid implementation pitfalls among states currently planning
similar kinds of modernization initiatives.
This study is comprised of three major phases of data collection. Phase 1 entailed exploratory
site visits to four states (Massachusetts, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin) which were
conducted in Spring 2007; Phase 2 includes a national “inventory,” or survey, of all states,
including a sample of counties as well as partner organizations; and Phase 3 entails more
intensive case studies in 14 states and up to two local sites within those states. The purpose of
these Phase 3 case study site visits is to provide an in-depth, comprehensive picture of initiatives
in selected states that have implemented or are implementing modernization efforts that affect
the certification and/or recertification processes. In each site we visit, we plan to speak with state
and local administrators and staff, and administrators and staff from community (communitybased organizations (CBOs) and faith-based organizations (FBOs)) or vendor partners. Focus
groups with FSP participants and eligible nonparticipants will also be convened in conjunction
with the site visits.
For local office director: (Note: This will have been covered in the telephone call to arrange
the site visit, so use this introduction to confirm understanding and arrangements): We also
plan to conduct brief “exit” or “intercept” interviews with FSP applicants and/or participants as
they are leaving the local offices to ask them about their experiences with the services they
received. These brief (5-10 minute) interviews will take place while the participant is in the
waiting area or shortly after a participant has received a service. For example, we might
approach participants as they are leaving a computer terminal or kiosk, or as they are leaving the
FS office and ask them specifically about their experiences with the activity they have just
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information
unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-XXXX and
expires on XX/XX/XXXX. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 1 hour, including the time
to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection.
If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate or suggestions for improving this form, please write to:
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, ORNA, Alexandria, VA 22302.

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completed. These meetings will not be scheduled in advance and will be completely
voluntary, so members of our team will be required to get on-the-spot agreement to participate.
We will briefly explain the study, assuring confidentiality, emphasizing the short time the
questions will take and focusing on the appeal to having one’s opinion heard. Prospective
participants will be provided with an easy-to-read description of the project. In our pilot tests of
this process during the Phase I site visits, we found that it was helpful to have a designated FS
staff person available to further legitimate our request and allay concerns among the potential
participants. This person would be available to prospective participants to confirm the purpose
of the survey. Some sites posted signs in waiting areas informing clients about the survey.
Thinking about the sites where your services are provided, can you offer any suggestions as to
the best locations to approach participants for these brief interviews? Also, could you designate a
point person (for example, the receptionist at the front desk or an application coordinator) to
whom our team members might refer participants to confirm the purpose of the survey? (Ask for
name.)
Confidentiality Statement:
Before I begin our discussion, I want to thank you for agreeing to participate in this study. I
know that you are busy and I will try to be as focused as possible. I have many questions and am
hoping to talk with a number of people in your state, so please do not feel as though I expect you
to be able to answer every question. Our aim is to learn from your insights and experiences, not
to audit or judge your work in any way. In addition, I want to let you know that although we take
notes, information is never repeated with the name of the respondent in any reports or in any
discussions with supervisors, colleagues, FNS, etc. When we write our reports and discuss our
findings, information from all the people we spoke with is synthesized and compiled. No
individual will be quoted by name. Do you have any questions before we begin?

A. General/Background
A.1. Respondent Background (Review/confirm contact information (e.g., title, phone number,
e-mail address) obtained prior to the visit. Use this discussion as an icebreaker.)
x
x
x
A.2

Please describe your current position (e.g., overall responsibilities, reports to whom)
How long have you worked for this agency? In this position?
What is your experience/background in this field? (e.g., education/relevant experience)

Organizational Background/Overview of the FSP
x

Please give me an overview of the programs administered by this agency/local office
(e.g., TANF, Medicaid). How many local offices are there in this county?

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x

Have there been any major organizational changes since 2002? Have there been
any efforts to restructure/reorganize/integrate the TANF/ Medicaid/FS programs? If yes,
have these efforts had any impact on the FSP? Please describe.

x

Where does the FSP fit into the agency structure? Have there been any major
organizational changes to the FSP since 2002?

x

Can you provide me with an overview of how FSP policy is communicated to the local
offices? How does the state/local agency keep program staff aware of FSP policy
changes?

x

How much flexibility do county administrators have to implement FSP program activities
and/or policy? How would you describe the relationship between the state and county
offices?

x

(If relevant) To what extent is there variation in how the local offices in this county
administer the FSP program? To what extent are the responsibilities for key program
functions (e.g., FS certification, reporting, recertification, case management) centralized
versus decentralized?

x

How do county administrators report changes in programs administration/local policy to
state administrators?

x

How do you communicate with other county administrators/staff on program and policy
issues? How do you make decisions within your county on program and policy issues?

x

Does the state/county FSP target (e.g., outreach activities) any special populations, such
as persons with limited English proficiency or persons with disabilities?

x

Overall, have there been any recent changes in the local economy that might effect
program enrollment and/or your outreach efforts? Are there any specific client
characteristics that are unique to this county? Have there been any notable changes in the
make-up of the FSP population recently (e.g., influx of immigrant population)? If yes,
please describe.

B. Food Stamp Modernization Activities
B.1. Planning and Early Implementation
Please describe the role of the local office in the planning/early implementation process for these
modernization activities.

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x

What groups/constituencies were the key impetuses or motivation for these
efforts? (Probe: Federal/state/local attention and priority; pressure from advocacy
groups; lawsuits; funding became available; federal emphasis; previous work in this
area; etc).

x

What mechanisms were used during this planning process (e.g., workgroups, steering
committees)? (Probe: Was the decision-making process top/down? Bottom/up?)

x

Over what period of time (since 2002) did the planning process occur? (Probe: Number
of years/months?)

x

What were the major start-up/early implementation challenges you faced with these
efforts? Were these resolved? How? What, if any, start-up challenges continue to be a
problem?

x

Do you think your experiences implementing these activities has been significantly
different that those of other counties in your state? Have you met with other county
administrators/staff involved with FS modernization activities? How often do you
communicate?

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B.2. Modernization Activities
I have a general understanding of the types of activities related to food stamp modernization that
your state has undertaken but I’d like to review and confirm them. My understanding is that
your state is currently implementing (or planning to implement) the following activities:. (List
activities and confirm.)
Are there other activities I haven’t mentioned? If yes, please describe.
For our purposes, we’re grouping these activities into four categories, so let’s discuss your
activities within each of these groupings. (Note: Review all available information about the
state’s modernization efforts so you are familiar with their activities and have the necessary
background prior to this discussion to help guide this discussion; confirm the background
information, filling in the gaps and adding new information as needed. For each type of
activity, determine the goal/purpose of the change, implementation stage (planning, early
implementation and fully implemented)) and the geographic scope for each activity.) [The
background information for each state will be organized to mirror the format for the Organizing
Framework for Data Collection and Analysis as shown in Exhibit 2 in the Phase 1 Data
Collection and Analysis Plan.]
x

policy changes to modernize FSP application, case management, and recertification
procedures (e.g., policy options, waivers, legislative changes)).
o Were there any policy options, waivers, or legislative/regulatory changes that you
considered but did not pursue? If yes, why?

x

reengineering of administrative functions,

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o Were there any changes in administrative functions that you considered
but did not pursue? If yes, why (e.g., costs, staffing issues, union issues)?

x

x

increased or enhanced use of technology,
o Were there any technology changes or enhancements that you considered but did
not pursue? If yes, why (e.g., costs, existing MIS)?

x

partnering arrangements with businesses and nonprofit organizations (Note: We are
interested in partnering arrangements with community partners (including
community-based organizations (CBOs) and faith-based organizations (FBOs) and
with private vendors who are performing task related to the
certification/recertification process - not with vendors who are contracted to do IT
systems upgrades.).
o Were there any partnering arrangements that you considered but did not pursue?
If yes, why (e.g., lack of qualified/suitable partners)?

Do the activities that you consider “modernization” activities fit in these categories? If no, what
types of strategies or activities meet your definition of food stamp modernization? (Probe:
Please describe those activities that don’t fit in these categories).
x

What is the overall goal or purpose of each of these efforts? (Note: Use prepared
checklist to determine goals for each activity.)
Probe:
x Reducing administrative costs
x Increasing access for applicants/beneficiaries or specific subgroups
x Improving customer service Maintaining program integrity (e.g.,
achieving and maintaining low error rates)
x Maintaining program integrity (e.g., achieving and maintaining low error
rates)
x Advances in technology
x Integrating the FSP with other benefit programs

x

How do the goals of the FSP modernization efforts fit with the overall goals and
objectives of your organization/agency? Are there conflicting goals?

x

Determine implementation stage for each activity. How would you characterize the
overall implementation status of your state’s modernization activities (e.g., planning,
early implementation, fully-implemented? When were each of these activities/changes
implemented? Are they still in operation? If no, why not?

x

Was there a specific impetus for each of these activities? If yes, what was the impetus for
each of these changes?

x

Determine geographic scope of each activity. Were each of these activities implemented
county-wide? If no, in what areas were they implemented? Why were they implemented

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in selected localities? Who made these implementation decisions? (Note:
When different activities are implemented only in selected areas, subsequent questions
must be tailored to capture those differences and address each separately.)
x

Have you made any major changes to your activities since they were first implemented?
If yes, please describe. Any strategies implemented and then dropped? Any additions?

B.3. Impact of Modernization Activities on Clients and Staff
Now, let’s talk about the impact of these changes/modernization efforts on the
application/certification process for clients.
x

Overall, from the applicant’s/participant’s perspective, how is the
application/certification process different now than it was before these changes? How
have these changes/modernization efforts affected the application/certification process for
clients? Have the basic steps in applying for program benefits and becoming recertified
changed for applicants and participants? What aspects are different? How/in what
manner are they different (e.g., staff attrition, RIFs, etc.)? (Note: Use the background
information to help guide discussion regarding changes for staff at all 13 points in the
application/certification process, as described in the organizing framework. Address
changes separately for each type of modernization activity implemented.)

Now let’s address the impact of these changes on the roles and responsibilities of staff assigned
to these tasks.
x

Overall, from the perspective of staff, who is the application/certification process
different now than it was before these changes? What aspects are different? How/in what
manner are they different (e.g., staff attrition, RIFs, etc.)? (Note: Use the background
information to help guide discussion regarding changes for staff at all 13 points in the
application/certification process, as described in the organizing framework. Address
changes separately for each type of modernization activity implemented.)

x

Tell me about the staff who perform FS functions in this office. How many workers are
assigned to FS tasks? Are particular workers assigned only certain types of cases (e.g.,
TANF only/FS only)? For what particular programs do staff determine eligibility?

x

What are the responsibilities and duties of staff performing these FSP modernization
activities? Were any new positions created? Were any new staff hired specifically for
these activities? How were staff chosen/assigned for these activities? Were any positions
eliminated? If yes, what types? How many?

x

What is the average monthly caseload for these workers? FS only caseload? What
proportion of your office caseload are clients who are eligible for food stamps only?
Have the characteristics of your food stamp caseload changed recently (e.g., more

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working clients, more elderly)? Has the size of the food stamp caseload
changed recently?
x

Have there been any turnover issues among staff performing these duties? Has this had
any impact on the agency’s ability to provide services as planned?

x

Have these modernization efforts had any impact on the operation of/service delivery for
any other programs (e.g., TANF, Medicaid and Child Support)? Please describe.

B.4. Staff Training
x

Was any special training providing to staff prior to roll-out of these efforts? If yes, please
describe. Who conducted the training? Who participated? How long was the training?
What was covered? Has any additional training been provided subsequent to start-up?
Are there any plans for future training sessions?

x

Is there any additional training you’d like to receive for yourself or for your staff?

C. Client Flow
Please describe the FS application process in this office. Please describe the steps that occur
when a person comes into the office to apply for FS? For recertification? (Note: Use the 13
steps described in the organizing framework as a guide but pursue these questions only if
not adequately covered in prior section.)
x

Thinking broadly, did implementation of these efforts change the overall way work is
organized (e.g., food stamp application processing, certification and recertification
decisions and general case management)? Please describe.

x

What types of outreach activities are there in your county? Who is responsible for
conducting them? How do most applicants hear about the FS program? Are the sources
of referrals tracked? Have the sources of referrals changed since the implementation of
the modernization activities?

x

Has the type or amount of paperwork/data entry you’re required to complete changed
with the modernization activities? If yes, please describe. How has this affected your
workload?

x

What FS functions may be performed by partner agency staff (e.g., outreach,
prescreening, application assistance, assistance with on-line filing)?

D. Key Linkages/Organizational Partners
Now let’s discuss the other agencies/organizations/vendors involved in these efforts.

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(Note: We are interested in partnering arrangements with community partners
(including community-based organizations (CBOs) and faith-based organizations (FBOs) and
with private vendors who are performing task related to the certification/recertification
process - not with vendors who are contracted to do IT systems upgrades.).
x

Who are these organizations? What types of organizations are these? (e.g., CBOs, new
technology vendors)

x

What roles do they play? What are their duties? To whom and where do they provide
services?

x

Are these new collaborations or had you previously established partnerships for other
initiatives?

x

Are there formal partnership arrangements (e.g., MOUs, contracts)? What are the key
features of these agreements? Are these organizations paid for providing these services?

x

What issues/concerns did partners raise about the involvement in these activities?

x

How were the partners recruited/selected? How difficult was this process? (Probe:
Significant interest vs. limited interest) What challenges came up in setting up these
collaborations? How were they resolved? What aspects of the coordination were
particularly successful? What aspects continue to be challenging? Probe for county role
and collaborations in addition to state-arranged partnerships.

x

Please describe the mechanisms in place for communicating/collaborating with these
partners. How often do the partners meet? At the state level? At the local level?

x

Has there been any turnover among partners? If yes, please describe.

x

What type of training was provided to the partners involved in modernization activities?

E. New Technology
x

What, if any, changes was your office required to make to your MIS to accommodate
changes to the application, certification, reporting and recertification procedures? What
hardware and software changes did this involve? What challenges were associated with
this process? Are there outstanding issues related to this process? Where do you stand in
terms of completion of these efforts?

x

What additional software and hardware are/were partners required to procure to carry out
their roles in the modernization efforts?

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x

To what extent did you rely on contractors/vendors vs. in-house staff to plan,
design and make MIS changes/modifications? Why were these choices made? Were
they state choices or county choices?

x

What kind of technology training was provided to both staff and partners?

x

What is your opinion of the new technology? Is it difficult or relatively easy to use?
What is the reaction of clients to the new technology?

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F. Data Reporting/Outcomes
Note: If applicable, ask the person (s) who is responsible for entering and tracking data
related to modernization activities at the local office to walk you through the process, show
you the forms, etc.
x

Please describe your data tracking efforts for these modernization activities (e.g., data
tracking beyond that required for FNS reporting.). What goals/outcomes are you
attempting to track (e.g., improved application processing times, higher participation
rates, error rates, lower administrative costs, reduction in paperwork)? How are you
tracking these outcomes? How do you measure whether these goals are being met? How
are you tracking this information?

x

Have there been any challenges or issues in terms of tracking/providing the data
required? If yes, please describe? Did this require any new procedures?

x

What outcomes have been observed to date? Are these outcomes different than what you
expected to find? If yes, what explanations can you offer for these differences?

x

Are you aware of any unintended negative effects of modernization? If yes, please
describe? Any unanticipated positive effects? If yes, please describe.

x

(If providing additional access points to the FSP.) Are you tracking data on the usage
of new access points by applicants and recipients? Are you tracking this data by
population subgroups? Please describe. What has your data shown thus far?

x

Which data are easiest to compile/provide? Which are most problematic?

x

What have been the county trends in FS participation during the period of your
modernization activities? What data show this?

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x

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[if there is a trend] Do you think this trend is related to the modernization
activities?

What have been the county trends in total benefits during the period of your
modernization activities? What data show this?
ƒ

[if there is a trend] Do you think this trend is related to the modernization
activities?

x

What have been the county trends in error rates during the period of your modernization
activities? What data show this?
ƒ [if there is a trend] Do you think this trend is related to the modernization
activities?

x

What have been the county trends in administrative costs during the period of your
modernization activities? What data show this?
ƒ

[if there is a trend] Do you think this trend is related to the modernization
activities?
G. Contextual Issues

x

Are there any features/issues/concerns unique to the counties/sites implementing FS
modernization activities that might have an impact on successful implementation (e.g.,
local labor market conditions, staffing issues in the local offices, new local office
administrators ʊ refer to any contextual circumstances that may have been mentioned
earlier in the interview)

x

What are the key barriers to FSP access in these communities (e.g., language barriers)?
Have they changed over time?

H. General Perceptions/Opinions
x

Looking back, which aspects of the planning and implementation process seem to have
been the most successful at this time? The most challenging? Are there any lessons or
insights that might be important for others undertaking a similar effort to know? Any
recommendations?

x

What are the major implementation challenges or barriers you faced with these
modernization efforts? What strategies have you adopted to overcome these challenges?
(Note: Don’t ask if you have already dealt with this in previous questions.) What
challenges still remain?

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x

[If implementing multiple interventions] Among the activities that your state has
implemented, from your perspective, which do you think are the most successful? Why?
The least successful? Why? ? If you were launching this effort again, what would you
do differently?

x

Do you feel that these efforts have been successful in terms of meeting the stated goals?
Why or why not?

x

How do local FSP staff and partners view the FSP modernization activities? How have
they responded to the changes?

x

In terms of lessons learned, what, if anything, should states and contractors do differently
to facilitate implementation and maximize positive outcomes?

I. Future Plans
x

What are your plans for the next 2-3 years in terms of these new modernization activities
and changes to the certification/recertification process? Will these activities continue?
Why or why not? (If applicable) Will the efforts currently operating be expanded to other
counties/locations? Please discuss.

x

Still thinking ahead to the next 2-3 years, do you have any plans to launch any additional
modernization efforts or new changes to the certification/recertification process? If no,
why not? If yes, what will these new efforts require in terms of: policy changes;
reengineering of administrative/organizational functions; increased or enhanced use of
new technology; and partnering arrangements with businesses and nonprofit
organizations?

x

Is there anything else we haven’t asked you about that you think we should know about
your efforts?
THANK YOU