2014. Under union rules, this individual may assume another position which would be equal or lower than the current grade, but would receive the current pay level, thus it may not save as much as proposed if the individual assumes a position that is currently at a lower pay level. The displaced individual may also follow this process, displacing another individual, and so on, potentially diminishing the true value of the savings with each individual. The Governor recommended eliminating the funding and authorization for one position, consistent with the request. The Assembly concurred.
All Other Salaries and Benefits. The Department requested $2.0 million from all sources for salary and benefit expenses for 19.9 full-time equivalent positions for the Public Health Information program. This is $40,156 more than enacted including $0.2 million from general revenues. The request includes turnover for less than one position, makes various adjustments to staffing levels for a net decrease of 3.0 positions transferred to other programs. The Governor’s recommendation is $13,705 less than requested, including $11,090 less from general revenues to reflect statewide benefit savings. The Assembly concurred.
Target - Health Policy and Planning Program. As part of its constrained request, the Department reduced general revenue funded expenses by $195,416, including $185,416 for salaries and benefits and $10,000 for contracted clerical services, related to the elimination of 1.4 positions. These positions manage, analyze and report on data collected from surveys of adults, youth and special populations. The individuals also manage the data systems, generate program reports and perform program evaluation. The Governor’s recommendation includes $185,416 less from general revenues from eliminating authorization and funding for 1.4 general revenue funded positions; the individuals will be transferred to programs supported with federal or restricted sources. This is $10,000 more than the constrained request from maintaining the contracted services. The Assembly concurred. Electronic Health Records. The Department requested $0.1 million from federal stimulus funds for electronic health record tracking for the KidsNet system, an electronic child immunization records system, excluding salaries and benefits. This is $0.2 million less than enacted to reflect utilization of all remaining grant funds, which must be spent by August 2013. The request includes a reduction for contracted services from converting one contracted person to a state position and reductions to the reimbursements made to physicians when they integrate their systems with the KidsNet system and stop using a paper-based system. Funding is used to update birth and death data, as well as to enhance
the state has received funding for this program, which measures health risk behaviors among adults 18 years and older. The Governor recommended funding as requested. The Assembly concurred. Measuring Quality in Hospital Care. Consistent with the enacted budget, the Department requests $56,050 from general revenues for the measuring quality in hospital care program, including $53,000 for contracted training expenses and $3,050 for software agreements and postage.
As part of its constrained request, the Department eliminated these expenses for general revenue savings of $56,050. The Governor’s recommendation is $3,050 less than requested from eliminating expenditures for software maintenance and postage. He did not concur with the constrained request. The Assembly concurred.
All Other Operations. The Department requested expenditures of $0.4 million from all sources, including $198,580 from general revenues for all other public health information operations. This is $26,680 more than enacted and includes $13,000 less from general revenues offset by $39,680 more from federal funds. General revenue savings reflect an $8,000 reduction for a vital records contract and shifted expenditures of $5,000 to federal sources while other federal fund increases include printing, maintenance, and office supplies for vital records services, consistent with the revised request. The request is $120,075 less than the $0.6 million spent in FY 2012 for all of these expenditures; federal funding for vital records services overall has been decreasing and the enacted budget assumed a larger reduction than was realized, though expenditures for vital records remain $0.1 million below the FY 2012 spent level. The Governor’s recommendation is $2,512 more than requested from federal funds to reflect benefit savings from non-general revenue sources shifted to miscellaneous operating expenses. The Assembly concurred.
Target - Vital Records. As part of its constrained request, the Department eliminated operating expenses of $90,000 from general revenues, including $82,000 for computer software maintenance agreements and $8,000 for printing. It appears that the restricted receipt increase in central management of $90,000 is a shift of these expenses to that account; however, the restricted receipt increase includes $8,000 for security services instead of printing expenses. The Governor’s recommendation reduced expenditures by $90,000, and increased restricted receipts in central management, consistent with the constrained request. The Assembly concurred.
Medical Examiner’s Office
Salaries and Benefits. The Department’s request totals $2.0 million from all sources for salary and benefit expenses for 12.5 full-time equivalent positions in the Medical Examiner’s Office. This is $152,901 more than enacted, including $18,241 less from general revenues, $3,240 more from federal funds and $167,898 more from restricted receipts. The request includes 2.9 fewer positions than enacted, which is 1.0 fewer position than the revised request and includes turnover for 1.0 full-time equivalent position for one quarter of the year.
Consistent with the revised request, the request uses restricted receipt indirect cost recovery funds to support 2.0 positions; these expenses would otherwise be funded from general revenues. The Department began using these funds for 2.0 positions late in FY 2012 after the budget request was submitted, thus these expenses are shown as general revenues in the enacted budget, but as restricted receipts in the request. With the general revenues savings created by the transfer, the Department will have fully staffed forensic pathologists for FY 2014 and used the remaining reduction from the enacted
The Governor’s recommendation is $0.2 million more than requested, primarily from general revenues. He added authorization and funding of $65,797 for a senior word processing typist that was inadvertently omitted from the request, which the Department anticipated filling in FY 2013. Consistent with the revised request, he included $85,000 for overtime and $20,000 for holiday pay expenses that were not included in the enacted budget or request, and $10,200 less to reflect statewide benefit savings. The Assembly concurred.
Contract Medical Examiners. The Department requested FY 2014 expenditures of $245,000 from all sources for contract medical examiner expenses, including $200,000 from general revenues and $45,000 from federal funds. This is $107,750 less than enacted, including $82,750 less from general revenues. Consistent with the revised request, the Department reduced these expenditures to remain below its enacted general revenue appropriation for the division, but was not certain that the savings are attainable. The request uses the general revenue savings to fund additional operating expenses, as discussed later.
The Department spent $0.4 million in FY 2011 and $0.5 million in FY 2012, which was $75,486 more than the final appropriation because of staffing vacancies, causing the need for contracted forensic pathologists to increase. The Department indicated that it has fully staffed all forensic pathologists in FY 2013, including the Chief Medical Examiner, reducing the need for contracted medical examiners in FY 2014; however, the request is $258,006 less than what was spent in FY 2012, and $45,000 less than the revised request, which is a significant reduction, considering the state pays $1,100 per examination to contracted doctors and examiners.
As part of its constrained request, the Department requested further reductions of $18,723 from general revenues for contracted medical examiners. This reduction was offered just to reach the general revenue target and does not reflect savings that are likely to be achieved. The Governor recommended $18,723 less than requested, consistent with the constrained request. The Assembly concurred.
All Other Operations. The Department requested expenditures of $0.3 million from all sources, including $221,120 from general revenues and $49,375 from federal funds for all other Medical Examiner Office operations. This is $45,345 more than enacted from all funds reflecting increased costs for insurance and medical supplies because malpractice insurance premiums have increased along with the estimated caseload, which increases costs for livery, exam supplies and histology testing. The request includes $97,800 for medical supplies, $50,000 for insurance and $122,695 for all other expenses, including utilities, postage and printing and supplies. Consistent with the revised request, general revenue expenditure reductions from staffing and contracted services were used to pay for the increased operating expenditures. The Governor’s recommendation is $191 more than requested, including $293 less from general revenues for statewide state fleet expenses and $484 more from federal funds to reflect the shift in benefit savings from non-general revenue sources to miscellaneous operating expenses. The Assembly concurred.
All Other Salaries and Benefits. The Department requested $7.4 million from all sources for salaries and benefits for 94.9 full-time equivalent positions in central management, including $0.6 million from general revenues. This is $0.1 million more than enacted, including $0.1 million less from general revenues and $0.2 million more from restricted receipts. The request includes turnover savings of $2.6 million from maintaining approximately 32 vacancies, increases and reductions to numerous positions as well as the net transfer of 8.9 positions to central management from other programs within the Department. The Governor recommended $0.1 million more than requested, including $3,102 less from general revenues. Consistent with his revised recommendation, he added authorization and $0.1 million from restricted receipts for a public information officer that was transferred from the Emergency Management Agency back to the Department. The recommendation includes $46,469 less to reflect statewide benefit savings. The Assembly concurred and also shifted $0.5 million of expenditures from general revenues to available restricted receipts.
Target - Staffing Adjustments. As part of its constrained request, the Department included an additional $0.4 million in turnover savings but made staffing adjustments for a net increase of 3.2 positions; it appears to have shifted positions to central management, but did not include funding for them. The Governor’s recommendation includes 3.2 positions more than requested, but does not appear to include funding for them. The Assembly concurred.
Target - Shift Expenses to Restricted Receipts. As part of its constrained request, the Department added expenses of $72,912 from the restricted receipt indirect cost recovery account. This includes staffing reductions of $57,491, and added $90,000 for security and information technology services that appear to be transferred from the vital records program in addition to $40,403 for contracted training and clerical services. The Governor concurred with the constrained request. The Assembly concurred and shifted an additional $0.5 million for staffing expenses, as mentioned previously. Bioterrorism. The Department requested FY 2014 expenditures of $4.6 million from federal funds for bioterrorism preparedness. This is $0.6 million more than enacted to reflect new and adjusted grant awards used to augment hospitals and healthcare entities to plan for, respond to and recover from mass casualty events. It also provides for grants to cities and towns for enhanced emergency response preparedness. The Governor’s recommendation is $25,126 more than requested, including $25,360 more to reflect the shift in benefit savings from non-general revenue sources to miscellaneous operating expenses and $234 less for centralized state fleet expenses. The Assembly concurred.
Pandemic Flu. The Department’s request eliminates the enacted level of $0.3 million from federal funds for pandemic flu responses, including H1N1 activities, because the program is no longer funded by the federal government. Funding was used to strengthen the ability of the Department of Health and partner organizations to detect, contain and manage public health threats and emergencies. The Governor recommended funding as requested. The Assembly concurred.
Community Service Grants. The Department requested $391,585 from general revenues for 10 community service grants administered through the Department of Health. This is consistent with the enacted level and includes grants to agencies providing services related to AIDS, hepatitis, cancer, the Rhode Island Blood Center and community health centers. The Governor recommended funding as requested. The Assembly concurred.
All Other Operations. The Department requested $0.5 million from all sources for all other operations in central management, including $22,767 from general revenues. This is $0.3 million less
$8,500 more from federal funds. The request includes $100,000 for the strengthening public health infrastructure project.
Consistent with the revised request, the reduction from restricted receipts reflects the transfer of indirect cost recovery funds budgeted for miscellaneous expenses to fund salary and benefit expenses for 2.0 positions in the Medical Examiner’s Office. The Department spent $0.8 million from all sources in FY 2012 for these expenses, including $0.6 million from restricted receipts. It appears that the request may have brought estimated expenditures below a practical level, since the expenditure reduction was for the purpose of funding staff, and not because of realized reductions in expenses. The Governor’s recommendation is $29,340 more than requested to reflect statewide benefit savings from non-general revenue sources shifted to miscellaneous operating expenses. The Assembly concurred.
Target - Office Expenses. As part of its constrained request, the Department reduced operating expenditures for the Director’s office by $3,000. The Governor’s recommendation includes funding consistent with the constrained request. The Assembly concurred.