Bureau of Information Systems

The Bureau of Information Systems (BIS) is responsible for the Information Technology (IT) needs of the Departments of Public Welfare, Aging, and Insurance. IT needs range from ensuring that staff have PCs to do their jobs to planning, developing, implementing, and managing very complex automated systems.

Teresa Shuchart, Chief Information Officer
Bureau of Information Systems
Tel: (717) 772-7101

Crystal Newberry, Chief
Fiscal & Employee Services Section
Tel: (717) 772-7111

Jill Reeder, Chief
Division of Enterprise Program and Portfolio Management
Tel: (717) 772-7098

Mark Green, Director
Division of Infrastructure Management and Operations
Tel: (717) 772-7235

James Weaver, Director
Division of Technology Engineering
Tel: (717) 772-7120

William French, Director
Division of Enterprise Applications
Tel: (717) 772-6430

The bureau is comprised of over 320 state staff and organized into four divisions to perform the following business functions:

Information Technology strategic planning
Information Technology (IT) research and engineering
Information Systems (IS) development and delivery
IT infrastructure management and operations
IT portfolio, program and project management
IS performance management and security
Internal administrative and human resource services

The bureau provides direction and coordination of IT strategic plans, research, engineering, standards, policy, applications development, infrastructure management, customer support, portfolio, program and project management, technical training, and information technology-procurements. BIS personnel plan, analyze, design, implement, maintain, and operate large, complex, integrated information and office systems in support of all DPW program offices and the Departments of Insurance and Aging. BIS supports all DPW facilities, including all central headquarters sites, County Assistance Offices, Mental Hospitals, Mental Retardation Centers, remote administrative centers, and a Commonwealth-wide network connecting DPW and business partners.

FISCAL AND EMPLOYEE SERVICES SECTION: The Fiscal and Employee Services Section (FESS) is comprised of two units that provide administrative services in the areas of budget, human resources, and procurement.

EMPLOYEE SERVICES UNIT (ESU): ESU provides comprehensive, centralized administrative services to all BIS divisions in the areas of personnel, payroll services, labor relations, procurement, office/building services, and clerical support. Specific functions include staff recruitment, classification, employee orientation, leave administration, payroll services, supplies acquisition, fiscal contract monitoring, organizational charts, space allocation, office moves, clerical support, parking allocation, surplus and other related functions.

FISCAL SERVICES UNIT (FSU): FSU provides direct budgetary and fiscal support for the Bureau of Information Systems. Staff in this unit are responsible for the preparation of the federal claim related to various IT systems in the Department; the preparation of the BIS automated data processing cost allocation plan; the preparation of financial schedules for Advance Planning Documents (APDs); the preparation of project level financial tracking reports including consumption and trend analysis; and the computer hardware and telecommunications network job accounting system.

DIVISION OF ENTERPRISE PROGRAM AND PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT (DEPPM):

The Division of Enterprise Program and Portfolio Management (DEPPM) serves the Departments of Public Welfare, Aging, and Insurance in several capacities including the provision of project management standards and tools, project management (PM) services, project portfolio management (PPM), and centralized information technology (IT) contract management. DEPPM is also responsible for coordinating all IT project planning and prioritization activities with the Governor’s Office of Administration/Office for Information Technology. These activities include the development of IT Strategic Plans, Community of Practice (CoP) process documentation, and IT project approval requests. In addition, DEPPM manages compliance with federal regulations governing approval and financial participation in IT projects supporting the Commonwealth’s human services programs.

The division provides a common project management methodology and toolset for use within the agencies. DEPPM supports project and portfolio management tools, including a scheduling tool, issues tracking database, risk management spreadsheets, and other tools to standardize and facilitate improved processes leading to greater efficiencies. Numerous training courses have been developed and delivered to introduce and improve the performance of projects.

The division is responsible for portfolio management. This includes defining IT strategic plans and prioritizing projects, resources, and assets for project portfolios; defining project business objectives; ensuring consistent business and planning processes across projects; and managing project success factors and measurement criteria.

DEPPM is responsible for direct project management of numerous projectsincluding several that cross program office and agency organizational boundaries.

To accomplish its missions, the division is organized into two sections, the Program Process and Performance Section and the Home and Community Services Information System (HCSIS) Operations Section.

PROGRAM PROCESS AND PERFORMANCE SECTION: The Program Process and Performance Section plans, manages, and implements the development and maintenance of standardized processes and methodologies that provide the controls necessary for sound project and technical management. The section identifies applicable metrics that provide insight into the health of a project to create early warning indications of problems and to provide the diagnostic information necessary for prescriptive decision-making.

The section identifies, analyzes, recommends, and implements tools that will help automate project management processes and facilitate the capturing, analysis, and sharing of project information and metrics across a large portfolio of IT projects. The section establishes appropriate project management training curricula and coordinates with project team leaders to ensure all team members receive adequate training on project management tools and processes.

The section also provides centralized support in several areas of information technology procurement and contract administration including contract administration, deliverables management, development, and monitoring of contract encumbrances, and the development of contract specifications.

HOME AND COMMUNITY SERVICES INFORMATION SYSTEM (HCSIS) OPERATIONS SECTION: The HCSIS Operations Section provides on-going project management for IT systems that focus on the management of federal and state funded community based services, programs, Medicaid waivers, and enterprise support systems. These systems are functionally linked to other enterprise systems which create the information technology management framework for the commonwealth’s human services programs.

The section participates in enterprise IT systems planning and works closely with other enterprise level IT systems in planning, system design, issue and risk management, and operational activities.

DIVISION OF INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONS:

The Division of Infrastructure Management and Operations (DIMO) is responsible for the analysis, design, implementation, installation, management, and operation of the information processing and office automation desktop environments of the Departments of Public Welfare, Insurance, and Aging. The division performs IT research and establishes standards on hardware and software for the all desktop platforms. This division provides the management and support environment for the Departments of Public Welfare, Insurance and Aging's mission critical business processing systems. The division ensures that the mainframe and desktop computing infrastructure is maintained in a state of high reliability, availability, and serviceability twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The division provides continuous processing services and support to customers and users throughout the Departments of Public Welfare, Insurance, and Aging; manages changes to hardware and software to ensure continuity and reliability of services, and updates IT assets to meet the needs of its customers. The division is also responsible for maintaining the enterprise infrastructure environment for the disaster recovery site at Selinsgrove State Hospital and the enterprise Continuity of Government (COG) site for DPW and other agencies.

INFRASTRUCTURE OPERATIONS SECTION: This section operates and maintains all centralized computing platforms used within the Departments of Public Welfare, Insurance, and Aging, including mainframes (liaison with DPH), server, and mass storage systems. Services provided include job scheduling, execution, coordination of production applications, enterprise-wide performance monitoring, backup and recovery, hardware and software interface functions, and file transfer between various platforms. Services are provided seven days a week.

Specific functions of this section include:

Mainframe and server applications job scheduling and execution
Coordination of production applications
Enterprise-wide system availability monitoring
File transfers between various platforms
Disaster Recovery Plan development and execution
Coordination of production implementations
Coordination of DPH hardware maintenance and updates

CUSTOMER SERVICES UNIT (First Shift): This unit plans, directs, evaluates, and controls the operation of large enterprise servers and peripherals during the first shift of a 7-day per week operation. They schedule, process and distribute all output within the enterprise-wide environment. Additionally, they conduct systems monitoring, and complete system recovery procedures when failures or interruptions occur. The unit interfaces with BIS staff on a daily basis to schedule special production requests, adjust processing workload for optimum system performance, and resolve any outstanding production or development program errors. This unit also establishes the framework for the workflow to the Applications Processing Unit by ensuring appropriate instructions are provided prior to the start of each production cycle.

APPLICATION PROCESSING UNIT (Second Shift): This unit operates large enterprise servers and peripherals during the second shift of a 7-day per week operation. They schedule, process and distribute all output within the enterprise-wide environment, perform enterprise-wide systems monitoring, and complete system recovery procedures when failures or interruptions occur. They audit, schedule, execute, and coordinate production applications and special processing requirements for the enterprise server environment. They identify and resolve all production application program errors with application developers and make modifications to production systems as appropriate to resolve problems.

ENTERPRISE DESKTOP MANAGEMENT SECTION: This section provides installation, configuration, setup, management and administration support for all desktop devices used throughout the Departments of Public Welfare, Insurance and Aging. They perform hardware and software configuration and installation, client configuration; global directory synchronization, site planning and preparation, and asset management for all desktop devices. The section also manages the BIS computer training facilities, schedules BIS meeting and training rooms, and manages Tier 1 and Tier 2 support services. This section also does contract management for the Tier 1 enterprise Help Desk services. It designs solutions to be placed into operational status for the Tier 1 Help Desk. This section also provides SafeBoot administration for all mobile laptops.

This section performs IT research and establishes standards on hardware and software for the all desktop platforms. The section researches and analyzes new desktop technologies for applicability within the Departments of Public Welfare, Insurance and Aging. It also provides technical support for all desktop environments including image creation and management, administration, and operation of the desktop environment; operating system support, installation, maintenance, configuration, troubleshooting and Tier 1 technical support; and support for e-mail, office suite, and personal productivity products. The section deploys and supports all resources required to provide a stable, reliable, standard desktop infrastructure throughout the agencies it supports. The base technologies supported are workstation hardware, operating systems, and standard applications software.

The Enterprise Desktop Management Section is comprised of four units that support four specific lines of business: Children & Family Services, Benefits & Eligibility, Healthcare, and Executive & Administrative Offices. Specific unit responsibilities include:

Serve as the POC (Program Office Coordinator) for the offices they support
Purchase and install new PCs, laptops, network printers and multi-functional machines
Serve as level 2 hardware and software repair
Add, move and change hardware and software as needed
Deploy and maintain Blackberry devices.
Track software licenses
Manage Remedy inventory control and asset management
Distribute and implement PC images
Ensure hard disks and other magnetic media have been security erased using the approved WipeDrive (Software provided by OA/CTC) and that all equipment is tagged and marked for surplus
Ensure McAfee files are up to date
Maintain asset management in Remedy system
Install and support Audio Visual equipment
Function as liaison with the Pomeroy contract
Function as liaison with the Dell contract
Add and delete PC accounts in the Domain
Maintain the OIM computer training facilities

DIVISION OF TECHNOLOGY ENGINEERING:

The Division of Technology Engineering (DTE) performs IT research and engineering for the Departments of Public Welfare, Insurance and Aging and establishes standards for hardware and software platforms, telecommunication systems and networks, databases and knowledge management systems. The division researches and analyzes new technologies for applicability; engineers technology solutions that meet performance, capacity, and reliability requirements; establishes technology standards; and ensures that all hardware and software used within the Departments of Public Welfare, Insurance and Aging are in conformance with applicable standards. Furthermore, the division is responsible for developing, maintaining and monitoring information security policies and procedures, as well as the security of data and systems integrity. Finally, the division operates and maintains all centralized computing platforms and systems used to provide health and human services, including mainframes, servers, printers, and mass storage systems.

ENTERPRISE KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SECTION: The Enterprise Knowledge Management Section plans, develops, implements, and manages knowledge management systems and facilities. The section analyzes user needs; creates data models; develops data transformation logic, programs, and catalogs; performs information extracts from operational systems; and consults with users on knowledge management concepts and systems. The section evaluates and sets standards for system and end-user tools for data warehousing, decision support, expert systems, and other knowledge management technologies.

DATA WAREHOUSE DEVELOPMENT UNIT: This unit is responsible for the development of the data warehouse schema, tables and entities. The unit develops entity relationship diagrams, the logical data model, keys, indexes and partitioning strategies; develops the extracts to unload the data from operational sources and the mappings to cleanse and load the data to the data warehouse. The unit is responsible for all new data and monthly loads of existing data. The unit monitors performance of the extracts and loads and makes modifications as necessary. Any transformations needed to create summary tables are the responsibility of this unit. They also monitor and review all mappings developed by contractors.

DATA ANALYSIS UNIT: The primary responsibility of this unit is to work with users to identify how they can turn their data into useful information to monitor and manage their programs. They assist users in identifying and locating the data they need to perform their job functions. They work with upper management to identify Key Performance Indicators and Performance Metrics. They use predictive analytics to uncover relationships and patterns, within large volumes of data that can be used to predict future behavior and events. This unit is responsible for creating scorecards and metrics management and reviewing this type of work when it is developed by contractors. The unit is also responsible to perform clearinghouse functions for all data requests from all offices within the Department of Public Welfare.

ENTERPRISE CONTENT MANAGEMENT UNIT: This unit is responsible for business process re-engineering. Working with departmental staff, they assist in analyzing processes, recommend modifications and develop the automated systems to meet the user requirements and implement the necessary changes. Document management, scanning, imaging, web content management, and workflow functions are the responsibility of this unit.

BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE UNIT: This unit is responsible for business intelligence application development and maintenance. This unit develops summary database tables and entities. The members of this unit perform the tasks of gathering requirements, requirement decomposition, and development of the following business intelligence applications: multi-dimensional OLAP (online analytical processing) models and cubes, web reports, and web dashboards. This unit maintains the functionality of, secures access to, and monitors usage and performance for all Cognos Business Intelligence applications in use. This unit is also responsible for training new users on the technology used to access reports and OLAP cubes and also the technology used to create ad hoc queries.

SYSTEMS ENGINEERING SECTION: The Systems Engineering Section engineers and supports all operating systems in use by the Departments of Public Welfare, Insurance and Aging, including all server systems, network operating systems, mainframe systems, security systems, and COTS/specialized software products that are required to provide a complete and integrated operating environment. The section evaluates, tests, prototypes, configures, develops deployment plans, provides Tier 2 technical support, and manages support contracts for all operating systems used. In addition the section maintains a performance monitoring platform which is integrated across both the mainframe and open system environments.

ENTERPRISE SERVER ADMINISTRATION UNIT: The Enterprise Server Administration Unit administers and provides technical distributed server support. The unit manages the server environment, including server installation, configuration support, and administration; client installation and configuration; shared printer installation, configuration, and administration; global directory synchronization; dial-up and Internet access; and Tier 1 technical support and troubleshooting. The unit supports the migration activities for all open system based applications and performs the daily system and application health checks. The unit participates in the business continuity planning, site planning and preparation, and asset management for all computer and communications environments.

MAINFRAME AND PERFORMANCE MONITORING UNIT: The Mainframe and Performance Monitoring Unit provides engineering support for the central and distributed Unisys 2200 mainframes (systems located at both the Willow Oak Complex and the Sungard disaster recovery (DR) facility in Philadelphia) including: testing, debugging, prototyping, and deployment planning for new and upgraded products; developing scripts for installation and creation of initial operating environments; developing procedures and troubleshooting routines; and packaging basic systems administration tasks for use by operational staff. This staff provides close pre and post-deployment support for all application teams. Critical to the support role played by this unit is the active monitoring for mainframe and mass storage resources and rapid response to negative performance situations.

ENTERPRISE OPERATING SYSTEMS UNIT: The Enterprise Operating Systems Unit provides engineering support for the Department's central and distributed servers (server 2000, 2003 and Data Center) including: testing, debugging, prototyping, and deployment planning for new and upgraded products; developing scripts for installation and creation of initial operating environments; developing procedures and troubleshooting routines; and packaging basic systems administration tasks for use by operational staff. The complex nature of open system applications and the interaction of multiple platforms have resulted in real-time performance monitoring which crosses all server and mainframe environments. This unit likewise supports the back-up and recovery of all critical data. This unit also develops and supports DR procedures for designated environments.

ENTERPRISE NETWORK AND SECURITY SECTION: The Enterprise Network and Security Section performs technology research, IT architectural development, network design, capacity planning, network security, web based application security, network monitoring and configuration management for all IT data and telecommunications systems used by the Departments of Public Welfare, Insurance and Aging. It is responsible for all network related services provided by contracted IT vendors and internal IT staff. It ensures that all users, including internal employees, service suppliers, local governments, and clients can communicate and inter-operate effectively to provide fast and efficient delivery of services.

NETWORK ARCHITECTURE AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT UNIT: The Network Architecture and Telecommunications Management Unit engineers the enterprise network, the interfaces with business partner networks, and the network infrastructure needed to enable electronic commerce systems. The unit also engineers and provides support for all of the department telephony needs and manages configurations for enterprise data and voice systems. The unit provides IT consulting services to internal and external customers and business partners on all aspects of networking and telecommunications.

TECHNICAL AND ARCHITETURE DEVELOPMENT UNIT: The Technical and Architectural Development Unit researches, recommends, and prototypes IT solutions and methods for the enterprise. In conjunction with senior IT managers and governance teams, the unit analyzes technology trends across industries and business functions, recommends strategic IT infrastructure and architecture standards, and determines optimal solutions for major IT initiatives or projects. This Unit supports the development of cross platform and application integration architectures.

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SECTION: The Database Management Section designs, develops, and manages database systems for storing and retrieving corporate data assets. The section designs, develops, maintains, and implements efficient and effective databases across many different centralized and distributed hardware platforms using a variety of database products and utilities. The section also designs, develops, and maintains data dictionaries that promote the effective use of data across various database platforms and systems. The section ensures that data integrity is maintained and that recovery processes are implemented to provide data reliability and to maximize availability of information.

DATABASE DESIGN UNIT: The Database Design Unit provides analytical and technical database design support. This unit designs, develops, maintains, and implements efficient and effective enterprise-wide databases that reside on a variety of centralized and distributed hardware platforms. The unit evaluates and uses appropriate software to develop hierarchical and relational databases and performs database design and maintenance for a variety of database systems, including Oracle, DMS, RDMS, and Microsoft SQL Server. The unit ensures standardization of database designs across hardware and software platforms to minimize data redundancy and to facilitate exchange of data between applications. The unit plans, designs, develops, and implements database enhancements and conversions for all centrally managed production databases and works closely with application developers to ensure that all proposed database changes are properly designed, tested, and implemented within required timeframes.

DATABASE ADMINISTRATION UNIT: The Database Administration Unit provides analytical and technical data administration support. The unit plans, develops, implements, and maintains comprehensive data dictionaries encompassing hierarchical and relational databases that reside on a variety of centralized and distributed hardware platforms and use many different database systems, including Oracle, DMS, RDMS, and Microsoft SQL Server. The unit enforces standardization of data elements and codes across databases to facilitate application design and accurate sharing of data between applications. This unit also analyzes business processes, procedures, and problems in order to engineer and implement data solutions that meet business needs.

DATABASE INTEGRITY UNIT: The Database Integrity Unit provides analytical and technical support to ensure the integrity and recoverability of databases used by the Departments of Public Welfare, Insurance and Aging. The unit assists in database expansions, reorganizations, and conversions by planning and implementing the backup and recovery procedures needed to perform these activities reliably, without loss of critical data. The unit also develops, implements, and continually refines efficient and effective backup and recovery procedures for all databases to safeguard corporate information resources while maximizing availability of information. The unit develops procedures to ensure database integrity and reliability of the data. This includes checking for compliance with database constraints; checking for consistency of internal and external relationships between data elements, tables, views, and schemas; and gathering statistics on the efficiency of database access by online and batch systems.

SECURITY ARCHITECTURE SECTION: The Security Architecture Section ensures that the proper IT security for networks and applications used by the Departments of Public Welfare, Insurance and Aging are in place. The section supports the use of Unified Security which provides a centralized security management foundation that enables user authentication and controlled access to web applications. This section also provides network security support throughout the enterprise network with the use of outbound internet proxy devices, zoned firewalls, intrusion prevention systems and other security related devices. Also, this section is responsible for performing risk assessments and mitigations.

IT SECURITY AUDIT, MONITORING AND COMPLIANCE UNIT: The IT Security Audit, Monitoring and Compliance unit is responsible for auditing the current security infrastructure to ensure that all resources and assets are properly protected, and that the infrastructure is configured properly to secure applications and data. All web application vulnerability scanning is performed by this unit.

IDENTITY ACCESS MANAGEMENT UNIT: The Identity Access Management unit is responsible for role based access control for web applications. The unit creates accounts, resets passwords, and unlocks accounts for CWOPA and PMUSER domains; resets CIS passwords and unlocks PIDS; grants access rights to files and folders in Active Directory; provides access to Netegrity, Firewall, and RAC; and grants Internet access and remote access for laptop users. The unit provides support for authentication and authorization into mission critical applications, and also ensures that the applications are secure leveraging Siteminder and the role based access control system in place. The unit is also responsible for the underlying infrastructure that supports user account creation and role assignment and the infrastructure that supports account administration. Provisioning is also a responsibility of this unit which entails the on-boarding and off-boarding processes of user account and role management.

IT SECURITY INFRASTRUCTURE UNIT: The IT Security Infrastructure Unit is responsible for hardware and configuration associated with the security system, including, but not limited to Identity Manager, Site Minder, and MS Active directories. This group also recommends and implements hardware upgrades and moves as needed. This unit is also responsible for the investigations to include virus/worm outbreaks, internal investigations where seizure of the hard drive evidence is required, etc.

IT SECURITY POLICY UNIT: The Information Security Policy Unit researches, develops, implements, and monitors compliance with department and commonwealth policies and procedures related to information systems security. The unit provides support in developing and documenting information system policies and procedures. The unit establishes information system security standards by researching and implementing industry, federal, and commonwealth standards that affect IS operations. The security administration and controls include IS hardware and software policies, Internet access policies and procedures, remote telecommunication access, telecommunication firewalls and authentication servers, physical access, data security on all hardware platforms, and data retention policies. The unit also manages an IS Security Awareness Program and coordinates all BIS IT audits.

DIVISION OF ENTERPRISE APPLICATIONS:

The Division of Enterprise Applications (DEA) provides for software life cycle management and information system development support to the executive, administrative, and program offices of the Departments of Public Welfare, Insurance and Aging. The division provides consulting and project management services, technical planning, and analysis for strategic IT and business initiatives. DEA also provides programming support for the design, development, validation, implementation, and maintenance of information systems. Technical support is provided for the development and deployment of applications, middleware components, COTS software evaluation and delivery, software engineering and quality assurance for desktop, distributed N-tiered, web-based, and mainframe platforms. DEA consists of three Sections that provide direct support to program, administrative, and other functional areas.

SOFTWARE QUALITY ASSURANCE & CONTROL UNIT: The Software Quality Assurance and Control Unit is responsible for leading, establishing, and managing software quality assurance and control (SQAC) programs to ensure continuous improvement of business solution development and delivery for both internal and outsourced initiatives. This group conducts and/or leads technical feasibility studies and develops implementation plans to integrate programs, processes, services, technologies, and establishing governance frameworks. The unit evaluates and recommends improvements to software engineering processes, and procedures, software development methodologies and standards as well as incorporates industry best practices such as Capability Maturity Model (CMM), Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) frameworks and industry best practices. This unit outlines and monitors governance frameworks and cross-functional logistical support for the DEA IT project portfolio, architecture review board initiatives, and other business solution development and delivery processes and associated quality assurance and control programs involving multiple stakeholders including other BIS/DPW staff, business partners, and other affiliated Commonwealth agencies. The unit establishes and manages software quality assurance and control processes and procedures in coordination with Software Engineering Processes. The SQAC unit develops and implements SQAC standards, policy, and procedures and establishes, monitors, and performs trend analysis of BIS-DEA SQAC performance indicators, metrics, and associated dashboards with oversight of quality customer service and associated Service Level Agreements (SLA) compliance. This unit is also chartered to conduct software quality assurance reviews and control compliance audits and provide recommendations to improve business solution development and delivery.

BUSINESS & ELIGIBILITY SYSTEMS SECTION: The Business and Eligibility Systems Section (BESS) provides planning, analysis, programming, consulting, and IT project management support for the development, implementation, and maintenance of information systems for the administration of benefit programs as well as the Secretary of the Department of Public Welfare and the executive administrative offices. From a benefits program support perspective, this section provide programming and systems support for determining eligibility for cash, medical assistance, and food stamps; delivering cash and food stamp benefits; and recovering cash, medical, and food stamp benefits. The section also maintain information systems for verifying and tracking conditions of eligibility, histories of benefits issued, individual income, employment, and wages. The section performs the federal reporting and generation of client notices on benefit eligibility and benefit delivery. BESS also develops and maintains applications that exchange Client Information System (CIS) recipient data with business partners, federal government agencies, and other Commonwealth agencies for issuing benefits and determining eligibility. BESS provides the core resources necessary to support information systems initiatives for the Office of Income Maintenance, the Pennsylvania Insurance Department and the Governor’s Office of the Inspector General. The section provides planning, analysis, programming, consulting and IT project management support for the development, implementation and maintenance of information systems for the Department of Public Welfare executive administrative offices. These include the Offices of Legal Counsel, Policy Development and Legislative Affairs; Office of the Budget, Bureau of Administrative Services; Bureau of Equal Opportunity; Bureau of Administrative Services; Bureau of Human Resources; Bureau of Facilities Management; and the Governor’s Office of the Comptroller. This support provides a dedicated, core competency and knowledge base for the information systems for these and other organizations. They also provide support for business software solutions relative to the selection, configuration and deployment of specialized or off-the-shelf software. Additionally, the unit develops and maintains internal bureau administrative systems including the Data Processing Service Request System, the Automated Time Reporting System and the Project Management System.

ELIGIBILITY CLEARINGHOUSE UNIT: The Eligibility Clearinghouse Unit (ECU) supports the Client Information System (CIS) modules used to perform on-line collection, verification and semi-annual reporting of client eligibility data and benefit computations for cash, medical, food stamp, child care, managed care and employment/training programs administered by the Department of Public Welfare. The unit also supports DPW’s interface to the Commonwealth’s Comprehensive Workforce Development System (CWDS) allowing Workforce Partnering Agencies to effectively coordinate services to Pennsylvania's job seekers, employers and training providers. ECU also supports data exchanges mandated by law or regulation for use in eligibility determination, benefit calculation and fraud avoidance during the administration of cash, medical assistance and food stamp benefits. The various data exchange systems supported by this unit provide wage income, employment, Social Security, Medicare, IRS and criminal justice information from a variety of external sources. The exchange system facilitates verifications requests from exchanges and tracks disposition of the data. This unit also computes cash and food stamp overpayments and tracks cash, food stamps and medical assistance overpayments. The unit is also responsible for DPW’s eligibility interface with the PA Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

BENEFIT DELIVERY & RECOVERY UNIT: The Benefit Delivery and Recovery Unit (BDRU) supports benefit issuance and delivery processes for cash, food stamp, child support pass-thru and FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) disaster checks. Mass Grant Changes, Cost of Living Allowances and recipient disqualifications are also processed. The unit maintains data necessary to produce Medical Assistance ID cards and interfaces required to insure proper client enrollment in managed care plans. The unit also processes the recovery of cash, medical and food stamp overpayments, generates client notices regarding benefit eligibility and delivery and creates CAO caseworker alerts to identify required case maintenance actions. Required federal, state, operational, management, quality control and financial reporting processes are developed and maintained by this unit. This unit is also responsible for maintaining DPW benefit history records.

ADMINISTRATIVE APPLICATIONS UNIT: The Administrative Applications Unit (AAU) provides centralized IT solution services to the Pennsylvania Insurance Department, DPW’s Office of Administration and Office of Income Maintenance, as well as internal bureau administrative staff. Systems are small to medium size and can be simple to highly complex based on the needs of the customer. This unit supports planning, analysis, programming, consulting and project management support for the design, development and maintenance of information systems.

OFFICE AUTOMATION SERVICES UNIT: The Office Automation Services Unit (OASU) provides IT solution services to the DPW’s Office of Administration, smaller program offices and internal bureau administrative staff using Microsoft Access and APEX (Oracle based product). The unit is responsible for the maintenance of legacy FoxPro, Dbase and Unisys MAPPER applications until they are transitioned to other enterprise solutions. The unit also provides support for specialized off-the-shelf software used in DPW’s Office of Administration.

HEALTHCARE, CHILDREN, AND FAMILY SYSTEMS SECTION: The Healthcare, Children, and Family Systems Section (HCFSS) provides planning, analysis, programming, consulting, and IT project management support for the development, implementation, and maintenance of the information systems for the administration of medical assistance; children, youth, and family welfare; and juvenile justice programs. The healthcare units within HCFSS provide support for the Office of Medical Assistance Programs for the payment of providers who provide medical services to clients eligible for medical assistance. The section provides applications support for both the fee-for-service and managed care payment programs of DPW. HCFSS also develops, implements, and maintains the Master Provider Index and applications that determine third party liability by collecting information from various federal, state, and private agencies pertaining to other insurance coverage on clients. The section also develops and maintains information systems supporting the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Office of Developmental Programs, and Bureau of Financial Operations that bill for administrative services, provide patient information, and perform client tracking. The children, youth and family units of HCFSS develops and maintains information systems supporting the Office of Children, Youth, and Families and the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) for child support collections, fraud investigations, early childhood programs, federal reporting, and interfaces to County Assistance Offices, Child Care Information Services (CCIS) agencies, strategic business partners, and community organizations.

HEALTHCARE PROVIDER & PAYMENT ASSESSMENT SYSTEMS UNIT: The Healthcare Provider and Payment Systems Unit (HPPASU) supplies IT business, customer and application developer support, knowledge and skills for the development, testing and debugging, implementation, maintenance, documentation and project management of the enterprise Master Provider Index (MPI) database repository that stores and tracks providers doing business with the commonwealth. Enterprise applications interface with and use MPI data are numerous and range greatly in scope and functionality. The unit also supplies enterprise provider business subject matter expertise and consultation functions to various organizations, including the DPW Office of Administration (OA) and the Bureau of Financial Operations (BFO). This unit also provides subject matter expertise and systems support regarding healthcare payments cost avoidance and recovery assessments. They develop, implement, and maintain information systems that provide client eligibility information, third party liability insurance information, and managed care eligibility information for the administration of the state’s medical assistance program. The systems supported extract client eligibility for medical services, managed care eligibility for capitation payments, and third party liability insurance resources for the cost avoidance of claims payment in the PROMISe System. This unit also develops, implements, and maintains applications that capture and determine third party liability insurance resources by collecting information from various federal, state, and private agencies pertaining to other insurance coverage on clients.

HEALTHCARE BUSINESS SYSTEMS UNIT: HEALTHCARE BUSINESS SYSTEMS UNIT: The Healthcare Business Systems Unit (HBSU) supplies IT business, customer and application developer support, knowledge and skills for the development, testing and debugging, implementation, maintenance, documentation and project management of enterprise mental healthcare applications and interfaces/data exchanges. This unit also develops, implements, and maintains applications necessary to support both mandated and administrative report generation from various systems. The Healthcare Business Systems Unit supports the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Office of Developmental Programs within DPW. HSBU also supports the Office of Long Term Living and Applications used within the Department of Aging.

FAMILY & YOUTH SUPPORT SERVICES UNIT: The Family and Youth Support Services Unit provides information technology services in assuring the safety and permanency of children at risk of child abuse, neglect and delinquency. Technology services include but are not limited to planning, analysis, programming, consulting and project management support for the development, implementation and maintenance of information systems related to family support and juvenile justice services within the Office of Children Youth and Families. This unit also provides support for systems pertaining to childhood learning and early development, child care provider licensing and the Child Care Management Information System (CCMIS) within the Office of Child Development and Early Learning. The unit also assists with IT services associated with child support enforcement and creation and monitoring of Service Level Objectives/Agreements.

ENTERPRISE SERVICES SECTION: The Enterprise Services Section (ESS) provides specialized planning, analysis, programming, consulting, and IT project management support for the development, implementation, and maintenance of enterprise information systems platforms supporting executive, administrative, and program offices within the Departments of Public Welfare, Insurance and Aging. ESS provides both analytical and programming support to other divisions within the bureau when specialized skills or competencies are required to expedite the development process and to deploy information systems more rapidly. This section also coordinates with the Division of Technology Engineering in researching and integration of advanced technologies, COTS software, utilities, and methodologies used for applications development and delivery of information systems platforms across the enterprise. The section provides development and maintenance of applications using middleware products to integrate/interface mainframe and distributed N-tiered systems platforms for reliable data/information exchanges with strategic business partners, inter and intra agency information systems platforms. As a Local Center of Excellence, this section coordinates with application development teams and supports application test scenario execution to provide independent verification and validation testing services for the bureau coordinating with program offices to certify systems readiness to be migrated to a production environment. They provide support for the design, development and maintenance of forms, notices, reports, and screens required for an application development project which includes enterprise-wide, high-speed printers, electronic publishing, and report distribution. The section also provides consulting services on document storage and retrieval, graphics design, and web page and Internet publishing.

WEB SERVICES UNIT: The Web Services Unit (WSU) is responsible for providing support through the use of web technologies which are designed, engineered and developed using the latest technologies. The unit is responsible for DPW’s Internet presence by developing and maintaining several Internet web sites, including the DPW and Child Adoption web sites as well administration of the Departments content management system (CMS) used to support them. The unit is also responsible for supporting DPW in upholding the Section 508 guidelines for accessibility for disabled persons viewing web content and applications. They also provide support related to the design and implementation of several intranet sites, collaboration portals, and the Department’s mail list server. This unit has the responsibility of administering a repository for all the Departments server based application source code.

MIDDLEWARE SERVICES UNIT: The Middleware Services Unit (MSU) provides planning, analysis, programming, consulting, and project management support for the design, development and maintenance of interfaces that allow application-to-application, web application-to-mainframe, and mainframe to web application communications. MSU provides specialized middleware technical resources and expertise, both analytical and programming, to all organizational entities within BIS for existing and/or new interfaces. These interfaces are developed using:

OpenTI (Transaction Integration) and OpenOLTP (On-line Transaction Processing) – Unisys proprietary software. OpenTI is COM+ based programming that allows interfacing between Microsoft Windows and OpenOLTP.
webMethods – Third Party COTS product that acts as the Integration Broker between enterprise applications that allows for guaranteed message delivery real-time and asynchronously.
BizTalk – Microsoft’s message delivery platform for delayed, near real time batch processing.
MoveIT – Third Party COTS product for all of DPW’s File Transfer needs. This encompasses host-to-host, host-to-server, server-to-server, and server-to-host. These FTP’s deal with internal transfers as well as Business Partner transfers.
Informatica – Third Party COTS product that allows Operational Data Store transfers from server to server as well as workflow processing.

CENTER OF EXCELLENCE UNIT: The Center of Excellence Unit (COEU) is based on the emerging disciplines of information systems that focus on the analysis of software engineering, design, programming, testing, and configuration management throughout the entire lifecycle of the application development process. This unit works closely with all other areas of the enterprise in support of independent verification and validation (IVV) testing. The unit also maintains and utilizes utility software for the purposes of monitoring space allocation within the established environments, performs systems reference table content dumps and migrations, and case data migrations in concert with software releases testing activities and production deployments. Migrations are coordinated and performed to populate select case data records and supporting reference table entries through the environments as releases and new projects progress within the application development and testing lifecycle. The center is also active in providing training and technical assistance to other areas within the enterprise in computer and information management technology. The unit performs configuration management activities relative to the support of the established mainframe environments for development, integration, systems acceptance, training, and production deployments. The unit provides content update and maintenance support to the Office of Administrations intranet web-site. The Office of Administration’s intranet site hosts the DPW Surplus Equipment Warehouse application and the Forms and Publications page for information and/or access to all of Management Services available Department of Welfare forms and publications. The unit provides immediate response to problems and issues pertaining to the operation of the Training Environment. The Training Environment is used by various training sites across the Commonwealth. Issues are treated as ‘production type’ problems in order to minimize the cost and impact of interruptions to the scheduled training classes.

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