The Department of Health and Human Resources started acting on the million-dollar recommendations of an outside adviser today by boosting an in-house attorney to a deputy secretary role.
More moves could still be to come, but there’s still a big outstanding question about whether internal staffing changes will placate legislative majorities who have questioned the agency’s performance.
“I don’t think the Legislature is going to be satisfied. I think there will be further legislation,” Senator Rollan Roberts, R-Raleigh, said on local radio today.
DHHR is state government’s biggest agency, with a $7.5 billion budget in state and federal dollars. It is responsible for trying to improve West Virginia’s quality of life in difficult areas like drug addiction, foster care, obesity, diabetes and more.
State legislators on a bipartisan basis have wanted more accountability from the agency.
An outside review of DHHR released this month by the consulting firm McChrystal Group focused on better communication and breaking down silos. One of the major recommendations is to establish an executive leadership team consisting of seven people responsible for united leadership of agency strategy.
Besides the current cabinet secretary, that would include a deputy secretary for child welfare, deputy secretary for substance abuse disorders, deputy secretary for access and eligibility plus the state health officer, the director of the Center for Threat Preparedness and a chief operating officer.
DHHR announced the first move today by naming Cammie Chapman, previously an associate general counsel for DHHR, as deputy secretary of child and adult services. The agency said the change is effective immediately.
In the new role, Chapman will oversee DHHR’s Bureau for Child Support Enforcement and Bureau for Social Services.
“I am honored to continue to follow my passion and serve DHHR in this new role,” Chapman stated, describing a goal of assuring the safety and well-being of vulnerable West Virginians.
The Bureau for Child Support Enforcement establishes paternity and child support, enforces support from a child’s parent and enforces court orders for spousal support. DHHR’s Bureau for Social Services promotes the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and vulnerable adults, supporting individuals to succeed and strengthening families.
“I have relied on Cammie’s expertise in the child welfare field and look forward to utilizing her management and leadership skills in this new role, as well as her enthusiastic approach to solving problems,” stated DHHR Secretary Bill Crouch. “We have much work to do in this realm and I know Cammie is the right person to tackle those challenges head on.”
The outside recommendations came about after a bipartisan and frustrated spectrum of West Virginia lawmakers concluded that DHHR is just too unwieldy to get a handle on its operations or finances.
Gov. Jim Justice vetoed a bill earlier this year that would have divided the agency, saying a restructuring needs a longer, more careful examination.
The result by the national consulting firm McChrystal Group was a rejection of splitting the agency, but it did conclude that changes are urgent to knock down silos and improve results.
Right now, the report concluded, communication throughout the agency too often falls short to be effective: “The Office of the Cabinet Secretary – including all administrative offices – rarely seeks proactive input from the bureaus, which impacts decision-making and service delivery.”
Lack of broad strategy across the agency results in fumbled priorities, the review concluded. “The lack of a department-wide strategy also results in over reliance on key leaders, further limiting collaboration and hindering teams’ abilities to effectively deliver services.”
West Virginia lawmakers, when presented the report, were less than wowed.
Senator Roberts, speaking today on “Radio Roundtable” on WJLS AM in Beckley, suggested some personnel moves might not change the legislative scrutiny.
Roberts, who is a member of both the Senate Finance and Senate Health committees, anticipated the DHHR moves would be more of the same: “Let’s increase bureaucracy to become more efficient. And historically that hasn’t worked.”
Of the outside review, Robert said, “Legislators are very disappointed with what came out of that. It was basically everything Secretary Crouch was saying before. It kind of felt like everything Secretary Crouch was saying before.” He added, “I’m not sure the Legislature’s going to be happy. I think you’re going to have some things happen that will force the issue.”
Another lawmaker, Delegate Kayla Young, questioned how a newly-named deputy secretary might perceive legislative scrutiny that could turn into action in just a few weeks during the next regular session. Young, D-Kanawha, alluded to the likelihood of the Legislature reorganizing the agency within the next few months.
WV DHHR is taking slow action, but I keep thinking about the unease the new Deputy Secretary (ies?) must feel knowing that legislative reorganization of the dept is likely to come in < 90 days. https://t.co/SePapY7CiJ
— Kayla Young (@kaylayoungforwv) November 28, 2022