Annually over 2.1 million people—one-third of the state’s residents—receive services from DSHS. Low-income families receive medical assistance and economic support. Low-income persons with disabilities receive economic, rehabilitative, medical, long-term care, and employment support. Persons with severe mental health needs or alcohol and/or alcohol/drug problems receive assessments and treatment. Abused or neglected children receive child welfare and protection. Developmentally disabled persons receive help with life supports and living arrangements. Youth who have been convicted of serious crimes receive juvenile rehabilitation services. And parents needing help with child support collections receive assistance collecting payments.
The dots are connected with data. Data from across the department are aligned, resulting in an integrated, cross-agency database. Known as the Client Services Data Base—or CSDB—it contains time spans for client services, medical cost and encounter information, demographic data (sex, race/ethnicity, citizenship and death specifics), residence history, and costs for almost all agency-provided services. The database is maintained by the DSHS Research and Data Analysis Division and draws from 27 different administrative systems. This database stores client service histories and descriptions for the past ten years. Incoming are checked for face validity. Before release, the data are reviewed and approved by program experts and fiscal managers.
What’s new in 2009? The new dynamic reporting features added in 2009 make it easier to find and download client detail. Quick overviews of each of the nine major program areas within DSHS have also been provided.
Data scope. Over 87 percent of DSHS expenditures are now in CSDB. This includes nearly all of the department’s client-level services. Most of the expenditures—84 percent—come from payment records. In addition, payroll and accounting systems are used to determine costs for institutional, case management and specialized services. This detail is supplemented by program specific calculations based on tax and benefit rates.
What’s not included? A few client level services such as prevention programs provided to general populations and very small programs that are not tracked in automated systems are excluded. Because CSDB captures only client-level service costs, expenditures not tied to specific clients (such as licensing, quality monitoring of providers, training of foster parents, or headquarters and regional administration) are also excluded.
