Frank DeCarlo worked in the Erie County Department of Social Services (DSS) for 35 years. He most recently held the position of Assistant Commissioner – Public Health Insurance and served in the following positions, Director of Employment and Director of Special Investigations. His experience with the various departments provides him with a vast array of experience in both the development of new programs and the monitoring of existing programing.
During his employment with Erie County DSS he was involved with the development of numerous systems designed to ensure that the goals and objectives of programs were being met. He also implemented numerous innovative organizational changes which assisted the department in making modifications for service delivery as required by Federal mandates such as the Affordable Care Act and the NYS Medicaid Redesign.
Mr. DeCarlo initiated a reorganization of the Erie County Social Services Employment Division in order to meet Federal mandates for work participation. These new mandates required recipients of public assistance to participate in 30 hours per week of work experience. Erie County became a leader in this area in New York State by developing regional hub sites throughout the City of Buffalo enabling individuals to participate in required programs and attend GED/ESL classes as needed. The new structure allowed for the department to be recognized for achieving the highest level of work participation for a large district in New York State. The Employment Division also developed a unique subsidized employment program which now has achieved recognition, known as the PIVOT program (Placing Individual in Vital Opportunity Training).
Mr. DeCarlo also developed and implemented a Front End Detection process which required reviews be conducted on applicants of public assistance prior to receipt of benefits. This process enabled the department to verify critical eligibility data prior to cash assistance being paid which both expedited the processing of eligible applicants and terminated those applications which were not accurate.
In his post of Assistant Commissioner, Mr. DeCarlo oversaw programmatic areas with a workforce of approximately 400 staff. When Employment Director, he was responsible for the development and monitoring over $5 million in contracted services.
Mr. DeCarlo has presented programmatic information to the Buffalo & Erie County Workforce Development Consortium, N.Y.S. Office of Temporary Disability Assistance, N.Y.S. Office of Children and Family Services, N.Y.S. Department of Health, New York Welfare Fraud Association, The Brookings Institute and the California Counties Technical Assistance Academy.
Mr. DeCarlo holds the MS in Human Services Management from SUNY Buffalo State, the BS Management/Accounting from University at Buffalo – SUNY, and the Associates Degree (Social Sciences) from Erie Community College – SUNY.
