A National Imperative: Joining Forces to Strengthen Human Services in America (Jan 2018)

CASE STUDY: GOVERNMENT AGENCIES TACKLING THE CHALLENGE OF MODERNIZING REGULATIONS

However well-intended, regulations at the federal, state, and local level can combine to place significant burdens on CBOs without achieving their intended compliance goals. Regulations that require CBOs to expend considerable resources on reporting and compliance may stifle the development of outcomes-oriented programs and impair innovation in human services. Recognizing this, public sector agencies are working with CBOs to arrive at a regulatory mix that reduces burdens and allows for greater flexibility in the design and delivery of human services programs. For example, regulatory modernization efforts by the Colorado Department of Human Services reduced state-level regulations by about 20%. Outdated regulations constraining how CBOs could deliver services or requiring CBOs to engage in unproductive reporting and compliance tasks were replaced with new protocols providing greater flexibility and reducing burdens on CBOs. The Department engaged CBOs and other community stakeholders to help identify outdated regulations, and community feedback continues to be solicited before new regulations are introduced.

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