70 lose jobs in reorganization at R.I. Department of Human Services
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — About 70 Rhode Island Department of Human Services employees received layoff notices Thursday as the agency reorganizes in anticipation of installing a new $350-million-plus technology system to verify eligibility for social service programs, officials said. The system replaces one that's 30 years old; it goes live Sept. 13.
The reorganization also marks a change in the way social-service eligibility is applied for and determined. Clients will be able to apply for and track their benefits through a single online portal, which will eliminate some of the work that the laid-off employees did at various DHS locations, officials said.
The majority of the laid-off employees, most of whom are social workers, will be able to bid into other comparable state jobs, Department of Administration Director Michael DiBiase and DHS Director Melba Depeña Affigne said at a news conference Thursday. As union workers, they will have bumping rights.
The laid-off workers include almost 20 people who served as managers or supervisors; the rest are social worker positions. The layoffs take effect in two weeks.
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