Newsletter - February 2011
Statistics: The Buddy has now prepared 1496 time studies serving 6 counties.
News: At the next CEC Users Group meeting on March 8 in Sacramento, Dan Gardner will make a time study presentation covering the approved Cost Allocation Plan, Federal A-87 rules, and county practices.
New Features: The following features were added to the February update of the Buddy:
- Continuous time studies: A separate time study is completed for each month. These three monthly time studies are then automatically added together and included in reports. Any worker (including caseworkers) may prepare their time study on a continuous basis.
- Added cost pools: Support Staff, Staff Development, and EDP cost pools (and their related time study codes) are now available for use. The Buddy can now be used for all county workers.
- Cost pool shift reports: Admin may allow workers to use the time study codes of other cost pools. When this is done (although not common), reports are available to show the shift in FTEs and cost pool dollars. This also applies when “Extraneous” codes are used (i.e. custom county codes that are extraneous to the claim).
- Holidays: County holidays are automatically marked on the time study for all workers.
Future Features: These features will be available soon:
- Electronic signatures: No more paper going back and forth. Both the worker and their supervisor will be able to electronically sign their time studies. This process will comply with generally accepted practices and regulations, including a complete audit trail.
- Unit groups: Counties may place units into groups (such as divisions, sections, etc.) consistent with their unique organization structure, for management reporting.
- Payroll data upload: Counties can upload their payroll data directly into the Buddy. The Buddy then compares the payroll information to the time studies, and if there are differences, automatically begins a reconciliation process.
Case Study: Attached is a case study about how Marin County maximized revenue in children's services by using the Buddy during May 2010.
Presentation: Our fiscal admin presentation, including sample reports, may be viewed at: