Community Services Board Moving Toward Financial Stability

The Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board’s budget appears to be taking steps toward fiscal stability after a September injection of funds from the Board of Supervisors.

During a Tuesday meeting of the Board’s Human Services Committee, CSB Director George Braustein updated Supervisors on the agency’s financial progress.

In September, the Board of Supervisors helped shore up a projected $9.5 million shortfall in the CSB’s FY2013 budget during the 2012 carryover process. Approximately $3.5 million from the county’s General Fund was allocated to cover employee benefits, and another $3 million was taken from a reserve to fund critical human services.

Braunstein said the Infant Toddler Connection (ITC), which provides evaluations and help to children up to age three who have a developmental delay or are at risk of becoming delayed, will likely be over budget by about $300,000, or 3.3 percent.

Supervisors made the ITC a priority during the budget process, and set aside a reserve in case efforts to obtain federal funding failed.

“Depending on the performance of the rest of the budget, we may or may not need access to the reserve,” Braustein said.

Despite the good budget performance, the CSB is making changes to the service model for the program. Braunstein said they expect the changes to go into effect in January 2013. 

Braunstein said that in the past, the CSB had used a number of different referential providers, but the new model will establish a primary provider who comes to a child’s home and works with the parents during therapy.

He said that the new model had already taken the monthly cost per person down to about $300 from $400.

According to CSB officials, maximizing insurance revenues and streamlining billing will save the program more than $274,000.

Employment and day services (EDS) for Fairfax County Public Schools graduates with intellectual disabilities were another hot topic during hearings over the summer.

Consultants are currently looking at the program and trying to work out a different model to ensure that 2013 graduates will have human services available.

Board Chairman Sharon Bulova stressed that families need to be involved in the consulting process.

“The engagement of the families is really critical,” she said.

Braunstein assured her that all stakeholders were involved in the process. Suggestions for new models will be ready by March 2013, officials said, but Supervisors could expect full implementation of the EDS changes by the 2015 budget period.