The Office of Consumer Health Assistance requested to hire a new employee to handle an increasing number of spanish speaking clients. The Governor recommended that they fill their next vacant position with a bilingual employee because the agency’s overall workload does not warrant an increased position.

OCHA is forecasting 4,743 consumer cases in Fiscal 09, the second year of the biennium, with a staff of 8 people (about to be 9). 4,800 cases equals 400 cases per month, or 93 cases per week. With 8 people, this is a caseload of 12 cases per person per week, or a little more than 2 cases per day. The director testified about 9 of the 93 weekly cases are for inadequate english speakers.

Senators Beers, Cegavske and Rhoads voted to go with the Governor’s recommendation, but were outvoted by Senators Mathews, Coffin, Titus and Raggio. The new position will cost Nevada taxpayers almost a hundred thousand dollars over the next biennium.

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