Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund Commission

Annual Commission Meeting

Marietta, GA

August 22, 2013

Minutes

Commissioners attending in person:

JD Frazier (JDF), Cheryl Harris (CH), Henry Craig (HC), Lisa Dawson (LD),), Andrew Dennison (AD), Tim Wall (TW), Bob Bauer (BB), Gina Gelinas (GG).

Commissioners attending via teleconference:

Jane Warnock (JW), Randy Owens (RO), Hank Fielding (HF)

Commissioners - Absent:

Barbara Richards, Brian Dowd

Staff:

Craig Young (CY), Leslie McNely (LPM), Dionna Littlejohn (DBL), Stephanie Lotti (SPL), Dionne Braxton (DB), Keisha Pighee (KP), Tyimeka Brown (TB), Michailey Williams (MW), Kelley Mautz (KM), Leslie Berry (LB).

Guests:

Jane Jackson, Waring Jackson, David Dodson, Erin Ruoff, Raymond Shields (RS), Leila Kamunen, Paige Havens.

Chairman JD Frazier calls the meeting to order at 10:32 a.m. We will start with our Presentations if there are no objections – none object.

JDF - Raymond Shields Consulting will present an overview of the new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool that will be used for applicant intake. RS - have had a recent health issue so the CRM is not yet finalized but well on its way. Raymond and Leila review the features of the CRM for Commission and staff for approximately 25 minutes.

JDF – we will now present our awards.

CY – The Commission’s Pathfinder Award will be presented to Rep. Jimmy Pruett of Eastman, GA for his leadership and sponsorship of the ‘Return To Play Act 2013’ which was adopted by the state of Georgia and signed by Governor Deal. The award presentation will be at a time and place to be determined after consultation with Rep. Pruett’s district office.

CY – The Commission presents this year’s Larry Huggins Outstanding Committee Member Award to Gina Gelinas for her outstanding contributions as a member of the Children and Youth committee. Gina has provided the liaison for many co-projects between the Department of Education and the Children and Youth committee and has provided access so that information regarding traumatic brain injury can be shared with DOE employees and local school district personnel.

The Commission presents our Outstanding Service Award to Jane Jackson of the Brain Injury Association of Georgia for her outstanding service to the Commission, BIAG and the brain injury community. Jane has been a one woman army for the community for years and her dedication to mission is remarkable.

Shannon McGhee could not be present to receive his award but will attend a future Commission meeting to accept the award.

JDF – A quorum of 11 Commissioners is present. Approval of the minutes of the previous (July) Commission meeting is first on the agenda.

1. Motion: to approve the minutes of the meeting of July 25, 2013
Motion by: HC Second by: GG
Vote: Unanimous

JDF – The Executive committee has three recommendations for the Commission to consider. The Executive committee recommends adoption of the FY2015 budget, the FY2014-2018 spending plan and the FY2014 workplan. Is there any discussion regarding any of the recommendations? BB – I have a concern about the spending plan. We are counting on the base budget to be level for the next five years but the trend has been downward. LPM – we do not know with certainty what the actual base budget figures will be but we plan to augment the base budget with funds from the appropriated/allocated funds and if necessary the unappropriated funds in our Treasury accounts. We are working with OPB so we can maintain as close to level funding as necessary. BB – it seems that this could be too optimistic with the percentage decline each year. The Commission must take steps to ensure that more funds are found to supplement the budget in light of the sharp revenue drop; if not, our programs and mission will suffer. We need to focus on the priority list and the real decline in surcharge collections.

LD – Supporting stronger DUI laws is a win for everyone. Six years ago DUI legislative reform was introduced but was not adopted by the General Assembly. Also, Commission staff and employees of state agencies are circumscribed in that they cannot lobby for additional funding. This is the function of private individuals like appointed Commissioners, non-profits and stakeholders. Staff can raise the issue of declining revenues and potential remedies to the attention of the budget office and the Governor’s office but cannot advocate. You should speak with your local courts, prosecutors, law enforcement about your concerns – please let Stephanie know if you plan to take a meeting and also share your meeting discussions so she will be aware.

HC – I am in agreement with Bob’s comments. We need to raise the profile of our funding needs. JDF – any other discussion? None.

2. Motion: Executive committee recommends adoption of the FY2015 budget, the FY2014-FY2018 budget and the FY2014 workplan.
Motion by: Executive committee Second by: HC
Vote: Unanimous – the motion is adopted.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Nominations:

JDF – We must elect new Commission officers who will also serve on the Executive committee. CY – I have spoken with Brian Dowd about serving in some capacity but he must obtain permission from his immediate supervisor.

We can take nominations from the floor and Commissioners can self-nominate. No nominations from the floor. JDF – we will speak privately with Commissioners eligible to serve to find nominees to be elected at the next Commission meeting.

Distribution committee:

Chairman Henry Craig – we have one recommend denial on the grid for August. Are there any questions? None.

A quorum of eleven Commissioners is established.

3. Motion: Approve the August 2013 distribution grid as submitted
Motion by: Distribution committee Second by: AD
Vote: Approved unanimously

HC – we have been asked by the Governor’s office to review the Commission policy on time limits for computer awards. Currently there is no time limit. The DAR committee discussed this issue and recommended time limits but the Commission did not adopt. We will review as the Governor’s office requests.

CY – We received word that the Governor’s office has denied the award for recreational crafts from the July budget. The Distribution committee reduced the requested amount from $1,300 to $600 which the Commission then approved.

We now have a waiting list due to lack of funds in the monthly distribution budget. The Commission can close a category when funding limits are reached. I recommend the Commission close the category of recreation until such time as funds are available and the waiting list is eliminated. JDF – this would close therapeutic recreation? CY – Therapeutic recreation is funded under another category – medical/therapy. An applicant must have a doctor’s prescription for therapeutic recreation and outcomes specified. HC – this should be taken up by the DAR committee. JDF – agree – we will first review the issue before voting on any motions.

Finance/Budget:

LPM – Final budget figures are still not available from DPH. As soon as they are available we will include in your next meeting materials. I want to ask Lisa to stay on the Finance committee even though her position of Treasurer is coming to an end.

Advisory/SAP committee:

BB – the Advisory committee is reorganizing and is incorporating members from the SCI and TBI task forces. KM – we are changing our meeting date to the second Monday (the 9th) for September and will have this meeting at the Shepherd Center. I continue to provide support for the Advisory committee subcommittees and will be doing so until sometime in November. The SAP update is in your materials.

Communications committee:

CY – Paige Havens will be taking photographs for the Annual Report. We will have group photos directly after the meeting concludes.

Executive Director’s Report:

CY – Shepherd Center outreach by the Distribution team is in your materials. Of note is the number of individuals who are withdrawn ninety days goes down significantly after 120 days (by a third) because applicants are still forwarding required documents. This distinction is important because it shows that in addition to our “active” applications, distribution staff is still processing “closed” applications as well.

The Affidavit of Citizenship is still proving to be a barrier for our applicants. 12/14 closed applications did not contain the Affidavit of Citizenship. We will discuss internally whether or not we should alter our intake process somewhat so the Affidavit’s impact can be minimized.

The Georgia Hospital Association has agreed to waive the $15,000 fee for FY2014. In exchange, Stephanie will directly contact those hospitals that have submitted incomplete data for additional information.

Our legislative agenda for FY2014 needs to be submitted to the Governor’s office by September 11th. We need to discuss and vote on what we want to submit today. Stephanie will outline in her presentation.

Public Policy:

SPL- continuing the research on DUI fine remittances. Your first powerpoint slide shows anecdotal information from different courts and law enforcement regarding the challenges and reality on the ground. Law enforcement continues to be under budget constraints. Some municipalities have eliminated their police department due to budget. Provided are some slides of de-identified court collections so you have an idea of how the surcharge collection has fallen. Most courts are showing a decline in remittances but not all. If you need data for your county let me know. I believe that raising the Commission’s position on the priority list is the best way to produce an increase in surcharge remittances. It would do no good to raise the surcharge when we aren’t even collecting what we are already supposed to receive. JDF – we need a motion for the legislative agenda.

Motion: Adopt a legislative agenda to create (or amend) a statute requiring that DUI surcharges generated by Constitutional amendment be placed at the top of the partial payment priority list.
Motion by: BB Second by: HC
Vote: Adopted unanimously

New business:

None

The annual meeting will be Thursday September 26, 2013 at 10:30 a.m. at the Commission offices at 2 Peachtree St. NW Suite 26-426 Atlanta, GA 30303.

Motion to adjourn meeting at 12:02 p.m. by (AD) approved without objection.

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Minutes taken by: CY

Minutes approved on: 10/24/2013