MEAC Alumni Council Meeting Summary – August 13, 2025
Date: August 13, 2025
Time: 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Type of Meeting: Virtual
Members Present: 3 out of 3 members were present
HCPF Staff Present: Antoinette Taranto, Chief Customer Officer; Thessica Covato, Member Engagement Specialist, Cesar Zatarain, Community Liaison
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Meeting Objectives:
- Continue to build understanding and commitment for person- and family-centeredness, which means we respect and value individual strengths, preferences and contributions, and work with members, not doing things to or for them.
- Provide opportunities for collaboration between the Department and members with the goal of improving member experience and the relationship between the Department and all members.
- Provide a way for Department staff to test with members whether or not programs and policies are working as designed and having the desired outcome.
- Build staff empathy and skills by engaging with actual members and their lived experience, accessing meaning behind data, not just relying on what’s easy to collect and analyze.
Disclosure of Conflict of Interest:
Members were provided an opportunity to disclose conflict of interest.
Old Business:
MCAC Recommendation Schedule:
Staff announced that it was decided to delay presenting recommendations at the Medical Care Advisory Committee (MCAC) until December 2025, allowing additional time for preparation. A rotation schedule was finalized identifying one member as the recommendation lead/presenter for each quarterly MCAC meeting beginning in December.
Compensated Time Allocation:
Staff explained that, due to the lack of funding for the council, the goal is to effectively utilize the compensated hours allocated each quarter. It was noted that the majority of these hours are currently spent attending the monthly Member Experience Advisory Council (MEAC) meetings, leaving limited time for collaboration and preparation of member recommendations. Members and staff discussed ways to increase collaborative and preparation time for developing recommendations. One proposal was to have only the designated recommendation lead or presenter attend MEAC meetings for that quarter, reallocating the saved hours to alumni collaboration and preparation.
No changes were adopted at this time; all members will continue attending MEAC through December 2025 when the discussion will be revisited.
Meeting Summaries Process:
Consensus reached to continue the current process of Department staff drafting and emailing summaries for member review prior to posting, with members providing feedback via email. Members agreed this review does not require additional compensation.
Discussion: Recommendation Development
Members reviewed themes from recent ‘Working/Not Working’ reports and identified priority areas for potential recommendations. Top concerns included:
- Renewal and redetermination processes – confusing paperwork, inconsistent or incorrect information from counties, lack of timely processing, and absence of confirmation when documents are received or processed.
- Member communications – need for clarity, consistency, and plain language; alignment across letters, notices, and outreach.
- Transportation – ride cancellations without notice, stranded members, safety concerns.Care coordination and RAE awareness – many members do not know who their RAE is or what services they provide.
Recommendation Preparation
Staff provided a PowerPoint recommendation template to assist with preparation of recommendations at MCAC. The template can be adapted and modified as the Alumni members feel appropriate. Staff then shared a slide deck summarizing theme areas from the past 6 months of MEAC meetings for consideration.
The Council began drafting a formal recommendation, focusing on the renewal process. Members expressed that the current process lacks transparency, clarity and timeliness. If members receive notice of their upcoming renewal, they often receive multiple notices with conflicting information. Members do not receive confirmation that the information they submit for renewal is “received” and are not confident that their eligibility will be processed accurately or timely. Solutions that were discussed include:
- Real-time renewal status tracking: Implement an automated tool that allows members to see the current stage of their renewal process.
- Document receipt and processing confirmations: Provide automated, specific notifications confirming when renewal documents are received and when they have been processed. A member noted this feature once existed in PEAK but is no longer available.
- Consistent, accurate information: Ensure counties and state staff provide reliable and uniform information to members throughout the renewal process.
- Member education: Include clear Regional Accountable Entity (RAE) contact details and role descriptions in all renewal-related communications.
Alumni members reiterated the importance of integrating member story-sharing into their presentation for MCAC to illustrate real-world impacts.
Wrap-Up
To maximize time for developing member recommendations, most of the September meeting will be devoted to collaborative work on the December recommendation.
The December recommendation presenter will lead the working session, with the other two members contributing input and necessary support.
Adjourn
Next meeting September 9, 2025, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
