Hilda Rocha-Fernandez

My primary responsibilities include determining program eligibility and conducting home visits to assess clients’ physical and mental limitations, mobility, and activities of daily living. These assessments are conducted through interviews and by making conjectures from observations of the client’s home environment. Based on these assessments, I authorize IHSS services, and ensure their appropriate utilization. Assessments are conducted annually, or when circumstances change. As necessary, I communicate with clients' families, support groups, physicians, and other relevant resources to facilitate the authorization and utilization of IHSS services.

Based on each client’s unique needs, I make referrals to community resources, local support groups, and partners for assistance in providing services and counseling in areas such as aging, disability, loss, and medical issues. If warranted, I refer cases of physical abuse, neglect, or fiduciary abuse to APS/CPS, and refer potential needs for out-of-home care when a client can no longer safely reside in their home.
Upon IHSS benefits authorization, I guide clients through the process of independently finding and hiring a care provider. In cases where a referral to the Public Authority is required, I assist in obtaining a care provider registry list, or providing support throughout the hiring process. Additionally, I provide clients (or their representatives) with guidance and responsibilities as employers of their care providers, including effective communication regarding expectations and service requirements. I also provide necessary resources, such as YouTube video links and worksheets, to assist clients in reviewing and authorizing time sheets semi-monthly.

My responsibilities included planning, assigning, reviewing, and evaluating the work of nine subordinate eligibility staff members, who were involved in interviewing applicants and recipients of Medi-Cal, Covered CA, CalFresh, and CalWorks public assistance programs. I reviewed applications and redeterminations to ensure their proper completion, and to identify factors that affected eligibility, such as grant or benefit amounts computations. Additionally, I assisted in setting up and maintaining daily application appointment schedules, and assigned them accordingly based on the availability of eligibility staff in all units. I monitored task completion rates to ensure that deadlines were met, and conducted quality assurance audits on randomly selected eligibility cases to verify eligibility determinations and identify any irregularities. Furthermore, I provided coaching, training, and discipline to eligibility staff as necessary to ensure their success. I also assisted in monitoring the phone service queue to ensure that all clientele calls were handled in a timely and efficient manner. This included reviewing recorded calls with benefit representatives as a means of personal development related to call handling.

I was responsible for determining eligibility for Medi-Cal, CalFresh, and CalWorks programs. In cases involving exceptional income or property, I exercised sound analytical judgment by utilizing all available information resources and verifying the accuracy of resource counts before authorizing benefits. My proficiency in research and application of policies and regulations to cases earned me the trust of my supervisors, who assigned me to review cases referred to the Fair Hearing department to confirm the appropriateness of actions taken by eligibility workers. I promptly corrected most errors and provided detailed explanations to clients regarding the actions taken on their cases, resulting in a significant reduction in Fair Hearing requests. In addition to accurate eligibility determinations, I prioritized expedited processing, which contributed to the prevention of negative actions on CalFresh and CalWorks programs due to late processing, and subsequently prevented overpayments and fair hearings. I consistently aimed to enhance the client experience during the application and renewal process by providing timely and accurate results, to minimize future complications.