Foster child social security benefits

The South Carolina Department of Social Services (SCDSS) is seeking a contractor to manage Social Security benefits for foster children through Request for Proposal (RFP) 5400023963. The primary objective is to develop and execute a comprehensive business process for securing Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Title XVI and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Title II benefits for children in foster care. Key deliverables include reviewing all current foster care children's Social Security benefit eligibility within three months, filing initial claims within 60 days of referral, maintaining secure electronic records, and providing detailed training to county and regional staff within six months of contract award. Contractor personnel must have a minimum of six months' experience with SSI applications and must pass background checks. The procurement requires maintaining an office in Columbia, SC, with SCDSS providing office space and equipment. Proposal submissions were due on April 4, 2023, with an anticipated award date of May 11, 2023, and a contract term of five years (May 23, 2023 - May 22, 2028). The contractor must achieve a minimum 50% approval rate for Social Security applications and submit monthly progress reports detailing referrals, applications, appeals, and benefit outcomes.

No specific set-aside designations were identified in the solicitation documents. As of January 31, 2023, there were 3,711 children in foster care in South Carolina, and the incumbent contractor is Maximus. The contract requires an all-inclusive pricing structure that encompasses staff salaries, benefits, training, recruitment, travel, and documentation retrieval. While a specific budget range was not explicitly stated, the Pricing Workbook provides a template for vendors to detail their proposed costs across five contract years, including staffing, payroll projections, and non-payroll expenses. The state-supplied pricing guidelines indicate that benefit costs cannot exceed established amounts in the benefit type table. Vendors are required to submit their pricing proposals as a separate Excel spreadsheet, with the grand total to be entered into the online bidding system. The contract allows for annual hourly rate adjustments across the five-year term, providing some flexibility in cost management for the selected vendor.