Information Services & Program Integrity Division

Endeavors to enhance the integrity and effectiveness of the Social Services Agency's benefits programs while providing Agency staff the technology, tools and support needed to facilitate case management for our customers.

What We Do

The Information Services and Program Integrity Division strives to support accessible, responsive, and effective services for Alameda County residents.  

Information Services provides internal technological applications support to the Social Services Agency.  Information Services works in coordination with County ITD to upgrade the Agency's existing systems and provide leadership in developing new technologies.

The Program Integrity Division (PID) is a team that partners with the District Attorney's Special Investigations Unit (DA/SIU)-sworn California peace officers, eligibility specialists, prosecutors, and administrative staff-to make sure that eligible county families entitled to public assistance can get the assistance they need.  In addition to the Welfare Fraud functions, PID also administers Appeals/Compliance, Quality Assurance & Quality Control, Work Participation Rate, and Income and Eligibility Verification System known as IEVS.

Sections

In our ongoing effort to ensure program accuracy and prevent welfare fraud, the following division sections work as a cohesive team:

Appeals Officers assigned to this section are responsible for the review and preparation of county positions as they relate to fair hearing requests filed by applicants and recipients of public assistance. The fair hearing requests can be filed for CalWORKs, CalFresh, Medi-Cal, General Assistance, In-Home Supportive Services, Foster Care, and Employment program issues. 

Compliance Workers (Eligibility Technician IVs) review fair hearing requests for aid-paid-pending qualification, while ensuring compliance with administrative hearing decisions and conditional withdrawals.

  • Income and Eligibility Verification System (IEVS)

The IEVS Section receives income and asset information from the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Fraud Bureau, which matches recipients with various data sources to verify eligibility for the amount of benefits being received. Eligibility staff within the IEVS section identify CalWORKs, CalFresh, or General Assistance recipients who fail to disclose or under-report income. The IEVS staff also compute any resulting CalWORKs cash overpayments, CalFresh overissuances, and/or General Assistance overpayments.

Information Services acts as a primary liaison between the Social Service Agency’s case management and information systems and the County’s Information Technology Department to facilitate best use of computer systems by County Staff.

  • Quality Assurance and Quality Control

Quality Assurance and Quality Control Technicians and Employment staff perform state and federally mandated quality assurance and control reviews for CalWORKs, CalFresh, Employment (Work Participation Rate), General Assistance, and In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) programs.

Program Integrity combats fraud in a variety of ways.  Sworn California Peace Officers via investigations will verify the accuracy of information provided by public assistance applicants.  Program Integrity also receives tips from the public as well as Social Services Agency Staff which generates the need to review ongoing cases to ensure accuracy and compliance with federal, State, and local regulations.  When fraud is discovered, there is a process to initiate repayment of the debt through restitution, grant adjustment, or referral to Central Collections.  When certain thresholds have been met, fraudulent cases are referred to the District Attorney for prosecution.