Report 2014-116 Recommendation 31 Responses
Report 2014-116: California Department of Consumer Affairs' BreEZe System: Inadequate Planning and Oversight Led to Implementation at Far Fewer Regulatory Entities at a Significantly Higher Cost (Release Date: February 2015)
Recommendation #31 To: Registered Nursing, Board of
To ensure that BRN has adequate data to effectively use its resources and manage its workload, it should formally track and monitor its pending workload of applications by type and original receipt date.
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2016
BRN staff worked with the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) and initiated a system enhancement request to capture the deficiency start and end date which provides us with statistical information for incomplete applications. The enhancement to track the deficiency period was implemented for use in BreEZe on July 1, 2015.
Beginning April 1, 2015, the BRN began utilizing the "postmark date field" in BreEZe to track the original receipt date of all initial licensing application types. BRN staff members worked with DCA to design and develop data extracts to help ensure applications are processed in a timely manner. Additionally, starting in May 2016, the BRN has been able to create application specific reports and formally track and monitor applications by utilizing the Quality Business Interactive Reporting Tool(QBIRT).
The BRN continues to maintain the initial licensing application workload sorted by month and week to determine age of pending applications in process. This allows us to monitor the number of pending applications in concise groupings to help ensure applications are processed within the regulatory time frame.
- Completion Date: May 2016
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Fully Implemented
1-Year Agency Response
BRN staff worked with the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) and initiated a system enhancement request to capture the deficiency start and end date which will provide us with statistical information for incomplete applications.
The enhancement to track the deficiency period was implemented for use in BreEZe on July 1, 2015.
Beginning April 1, 2015, the BRN began utilizing the "postmark date field" in BreEZe to track the original receipt date of all initial licensing application types. BRN staff members worked with DCA to design and develop data extracts to help ensure applications are processed in a timely manner.
Reports were released into production on January 19, 2016, when release 2 was deployed in BreEZe. BRN staff is verifying data to determine the accuracy of information provided in the reports.
The BRN continues to maintain the initial licensing application workload sorted by month and week to determine age of pending applications in process. This allows us to monitor the number of pending applications in concise groupings to help ensure applications are processed within the regulatory time frame.
- Estimated Completion Date: 7/1/2016
- Response Date: February 2016
California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Pending
Although BRN indicated it has released reports into production that address this recommendation, based on additional follow-up with BRN regarding its response, the assistant executive director explained that BRN is not comfortable with the data in the report regarding its pending workload and is working with Consumer Affairs to resolve its concerns. Given the uncertainty surrounding the accuracy of these reports, we will continue to report this recommendation as pending until these concerns are alleviated.
6-Month Agency Response
BRN staff worked with the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) and initiated a system enhancement request to capture the deficiency start and end date which will provide us with statistical information for incomplete applications.
The enhancement to track the deficiency period was implemented for use in BreEZe on July 1, 2015.
Beginning April 1, 2015, the BRN began utilizing the "postmark date field" in BreEZe to track the original receipt date of all initial licensing application types. BRN staff members are working with DCA to design and develop adhoc queries to ensure applications are processed in a timely manner.
The addition of temporary staff, including an additional supervisor, has allowed the licensing supervisor to more closely monitor the age of each pending application.
Formal reports are being developed to capture this information by participating boards/bureaus and DCA to be available by July 1, 2016. Until the reports are available the BRN maintains the initial licensing application workload sorted by month and week to determine age of pending applications in process. This allows us to monitor the number of pending applications in concise groupings to ensure applications are processed within the regulatory time frame.
- Estimated Completion Date: 7/1/2016
- Response Date: August 2015
California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending
60-Day Agency Response
BRN staff is working with the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) and has initiated a system enhancement request to capture the deficiency start and end date which will provide us with statistical information for incomplete applications.
The enhancement request was presented at the March 24, 2015 Change Control Board (CCB) for review and approval. The CCB approved the system enhancement and expects to have the enhancement in BreEZe for use by July 1, 2015.
Beginning April 1, 2015, the BRN is utilizing the "postmark date field" in BreEZe to track the original receipt date of all initial licensing application types. BRN staff members are working with the DCA to design and develop adhoc queries to ensure applications are processed in a timely manner.
The addition of temporary staff, including an additional supervisor, has allowed the licensing supervisor to more closely monitor the age of each pending application.
Until the system enhancements are complete the BRN maintains the initial licensing application workload sorted by month and week to determine age of pending applications in process. This allows us to monitor the number of pending applications in concise groupings to ensure applications are processed within the regulatory time frame.
- Estimated Completion Date: 07/01/2015
- Response Date: April 2015
California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending
All Recommendations in 2014-116
Agency responses received are posted verbatim.