Page 8

North Carolina

8 governs a legislatively required, statewide reformation of North Carolina’s social services programs. Recent studies indicated more accountability and oversight are needed for county Departments of Social Services to produce better performance and outcomes. Effective March 1, 2020, Rylan’s Law required the establishment of regional offices that provide closer, more direct, regional supervision and support to county Departments of Social Services. Each county Department of Social Services will be part of a region of counties, and state-level DSS staff will monitor and support these regions. Regionalization means that the State will provide regional supervision and support to the counties, which will continue to locally administer social services. This approach does not supplant, abridge, or in any other way change the traditional role of the counties in administering social services.

Among other important changes, Rylan’s Law requires all 100 county departments of social services to enter into an annual performance agreement with DHHS for all social services programs, excluding Medicaid. The agreement contains performance requirements and administrative responsibilities that were developed in consultation with county departments of social services. Ultimately, a data dashboard will be available to the public, so counties and citizens can easily access program data and performance.

Included in the performance metrics are goals for the Work First program. The goals and performance measures established below will reinforce efforts to improve the work participation performance for North Carolina’s Work First program. There are four performance measures for North Carolina’s Work First program by which county departments of social services/agencies will be measured for compliance, pursuant to Rylan’s Law:

1. Meeting Federal Work Participation Rates for All Families. Counties must ensure that at least 50% of all Work Eligible Individuals, as defined by federal rule, complete the required number of hours of federally countable work activities.

2. Meeting Federal Work Participation Rates for Two-Parent Families. Counties must ensure that at least 90% of all two-parent families with Work Eligible Individuals, as defined by federal rule, complete the required number of hours of federally countable work activities.

3. Work First Applications Counties will process 95% Work First applications within 45 days of receipt.

4. Work First Recertifications Counties will process 95% Work First recertifications no later than the last day of the current recertification period.

Rylan’s Law provides North Carolina with a blueprint for collectively transforming North Carolina’s social services system and speaks to the systemic changes that are needed to improve outcomes for families and children served by social services programs statewide. This reorganization includes our shifting from the current central state- supervised locally administered system structure to a model of regional supervision which provides better support, technical assistance, and compliance monitoring of social services programs and services.