On November 16, 2021, UPE met with DHA representatives regarding the Department’s plan to resume scheduling face-to-face renewal appointments at open lobby bureaus. These appointments are only for clients without phone numbers on file. All other clients will continue to have their renewals scheduled over the phone. Cal-Works Service Center staff out-stationed to the open lobbies will perform the renewals as they did pre-pandemic. The Department anticipates only a small number of these appointments each month. For example, in December, there are only ten appoints in the Department.
UPE questioned the Department about why the appointments are resuming. When the lobbies reopened, the Department stated that clients without phone numbers began returning to the lobbies asking to complete face-to-face renewals. The Department needs to begin scheduling again in order to stop them from coming to the lobbies. UPE ensured that staff would be able to place clients in a separate interview booth and complete the renewal over the phone. All other procedures relating to walk-in clients seeking RRR’s should revert to the pre-pandemic practice of referring those without appointments to the Service Center phones. If staff encounter any issues, please reach out to UPE.
The Department also intends to select 3-4 volunteers from the Service Center to work temporarily at the Research and North Highlands Bureaus. These bureaus are without out-stationed service center staff due to telework or LOA. The volunteers will be selected based on seniority for a two-month assignment beginning in December 2021. The assignment may be extended by a month or two based on business needs. If an extension is needed, the Department will ask those already serving if they wish to continue before offering to other volunteers.