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Wednesday, March 6, 2013 | 6:05 p.m.
There’s a nearly 25 percent employee turnover in the agency that manages the welfare and other public assistance programs and that’s due to the stress and the higher wages paid elsewhere.
Officials of the state Division of Welfare and Supported Services testified Wednesday that the current average caseload is 260 to one employee.
Division Administrator Michael McMahon told a joint meeting of the Assembly Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees that was a high caseload and is recommending adding 470 employees during the coming two years because of the expected increase in public assistance.
He said his staff is expected to dress professionally but the worker can “go across the street, work in jeans and earn $1 to $2 more an hour.”
In talking about the problem, McMahon said, “We lose a lot of sleep at night,” and the agency has a “retention” program to get workers interested in a career in the division.
The agency has a proposed two-year budget of $617 million with 56 to 57 percent coming from the federal government for aid to needy families, assistance to the elderly and blind, employment training for recipients, child care and enforcing rulings requiring payments for child care.
The cash assistance to needy families is decreasing but the numbers of those applying for food stamps and Medicaid are rising.
During the coming two years, the agency plans to open four new offices plus hire the additional workers.
Lawmakers expressed concern about the number of new hires.
Assemblyman Randy Kirner, R-Reno, called it a “battalion” of new workers.
McMahon said this was an “unprecedented new era” with the advent of the Affordable Care Act with more people being eligible for government services. He said the agency has “been working behind the scenes” to get ready for the new influx of persons seeking government help.
Sen. Debbie Smith, chairwoman of the Senate Finance Committee, said this would be a “big challenge” in hiring and training the more than 470 new workers in the next two fiscal years.
Deputy Administrator Steve Fisher said there is an academy that trains 66 new hires, and the division is planning to raise that to 90 staffers in the 12-week program.
Fisher said one option in finding employees might be to go to other states. But Assembly Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick, D-North Las Vegas, said the division should focus its efforts on hiring Nevadans because of the high unemployment rate here.
This is perectly engineered for the results that you have. Employers are constantly cutting compensation packages thinking that their employee has no choice. Other employers see that they are trustworthy and dedicated so they hire them away from those who won't retain their talent. Those that lose always cite the same old same old "We don't have it in our budget" but yet they get large bounuses for them selves people have awakened and sayed see'ya even for a $1.00 more.
P.S. They chose the Devil they don't know over the one they did know.
Nevada has the highest unemployment and the State can not fill its open positions. You get what you pay for! Come work for us, we offer furloughs, 500 a month insurance and we will balance our budget on your step increases. Thanks, NV Legislature.
welfare nation
the democrat communist agenda is to create the "needy" society
comrade Lenin said "to each according to their needs" - so all they got to do is "say" they "need" it and bingo! DEMOCRAT FREEBIES GALORE
hook this up with the communist democrat edu-cratic tenured propaganda machine that produces NO results and you have obama voters for life
welfare nation
we are taxed to dole out $1 trillion a year for welfare, foodstamps, section 8 housing, freebie education for illegal aliens, bloated medicaid
and now nevada wants to add MORE WELFARE on top of the junk we have now to keep the welfare nation rolling along
The idea that the state would look outside of the state for workers is insane. We have a high unemployment rate.
If an issue is pay is low professional dress is required, get real with the expectations and allow work casual dress. Yes, people will leave a low paying job for a higher paying job. Perhaps compensation isn't worth it for expectations.
What are these people getting paid??
I applied for this job, and before I could attend my interview I was told that the division of welfare is no longer hiring. This happened two weeks ago.
So who is lying here? Either they are still hiring, or they are not. A former coworker also applied for the same job and was told that they are no longer hiring after her interview.
We are desperate, and both of us are severely underemployed at the moment.