Department of Child Support Services Automates Executive Document Tracking and Review

Through California's Health and Human Services Agency, the Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) works with parents and guardians to make sure children and families receive the financial and medical support they need. Delivering that support depends on a network of government employees and service providers coordinating constantly.

DCSS had a long-standing manual process, known internally as "Red Folder," for anything requiring authorized, sequential approval. It wasn't uncommon for a single folder to need sign-offs from 17 different stakeholders, with no way to track where it was, who had it, or when it might be done. DCSS turned to SimpliGov to automate that process and introduce online forms with integrated electronic signatures.

• Document approvals took anywhere from 60 to 90 days
• Folders were passed manually to as many as 17 staffers for review
• No central way to track where a red folder stood at any moment
• Folders often went missing entirely
• Documents were routed through several employees only to be deemed incomplete
• No reporting capability, so the process never improved

DCSS chose SimpliGov because it met four criteria:

• A provider that could meet the unique needs of government
• Required compliance and audit capabilities
• Integration with existing automation tools
• Budget-friendly

The platform replaced sequential review with simultaneous reviews and approvals. Reviewers tag colleagues directly in the system to request specific information or clarification, and the department can see exactly where any folder is, who has it, and when it's projected to finish.

• Approval process shortened from 2 to 3 months down to 10 days, an 88% improvement
• Status of any folder is visible at any time, so bottlenecks no longer hide
• Implementation completed three weeks ahead of schedule
• The digital process let the pandemic-era shift to remote work happen without disrupting operations, a fortunate coincidence of timing rather than the reason DCSS automated in the first place