Krogmeier proposes DHS reorganization

DES MOINES – The head of the Iowa Department of Human Services said today he will recommend consolidating the department's central office functions and compressing the number of regional offices from eight to five service areas.

DHS Director Charles Krogmeier also said he plans to protect and stabilize front-line staff at current levels, but he will eliminate 78 currently vacant positions to downsize operations. His recommendations will be presented to the Iowa Council on Human Services at its meeting Wednesday.

Krogmeier said the new organization-the first major structural change for the agency since 2002-would preserve essential services in a more efficient manner.

"A review of the DHS structural organization is critical at this time," he said.  “The recent 10 percent across-the-board budget reductions and the likely 2011 budget situation make these changes no longer a choice but an imperative to align ourselves in the best way to provide the services Iowans need from DHS.”

Krogmeier's proposal calls for consolidating the current eight regional offices into five, causing a few supervisory positions to be eliminated. The current regions have headquarters in Des Moines, Davenport, Dubuque, Ames, Sioux City, Council Bluffs, Waterloo, and Cedar Rapids.

He declined to say which cities could be affected by the proposed change, noting he would announce the office locations for new regional headquarters at a later time.

Of the 99 county offices, a third are open only a day or two a week. Krogmeier said there will likely be a few more “less-than-full-time” offices, allowing for more efficient deployment and supervision of current frontline staff.

The new plan will also make significant changes in the agency's central office, where nine administrative divisions will be consolidated into six. Several supervisory positions will be reassigned and a few eliminated.

Among the proposed changes:

• The current Mental Health and Disabilities Services division will become responsible for all institutions, including two resource centers at Glenwood and Woodward, two juvenile facilities at Toledo and Eldora, four mental health institutes at Independence, Clarinda, Mount Pleasant, and Cherokee, and the civil commitment unit for sexual offenders at Cherokee. Currently, the administration of these facilities is overseen by the deputy director for field operations.
• The new Division of Adult, Children and Family Services will oversee child welfare, childcare licensing, quality control, and financial and work supports, which includes determination of eligibility for various benefits. In the current structure, the financial and work supports function is a separate division.
• The new Division of Field Operations will oversee the five regional offices plus the Child Support Recovery Unit, which currently has its own division.
• There will continue to be separate divisions to administer fiscal management, information technology, and Medicaid. Functions of the current Results Based Accountability division, which includes research and human resources, will be folded into other divisions.

The DHS is Iowa's largest department, employing about 5,700 people with a budget, including federal funds, of about $4.5 billion.