About NAPIPM

NAPIPM is the national association dedicated to assisting professional state staff and other interested individuals in assessing and improving public assistance program performance. If this is your work or interest, joining the association will be a rewarding experience for you.

The purpose of NAPIPM is to provide states and territories with a national forum for sharing information and mutual concerns related to performance measurement and performance data collection.

Some History

A number of years ago, the state Quality Control (QC) Directors monitoring the AFDC, Food Stamp, and Medicaid programs recognized their need to organize an association that would enable them to share best practices and work with their federal counterparts in Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs) as advocates for program and quality control change.

The National Association of Human Services Quality Control Directors was established as an affiliate of the American Public Welfare Association (now APHSA) to meet this need.

In 1997, the National Association of Human Services Quality Control Directors became the National Association for Program Information and Performance Measurement (NAPIPM).

NAPIPM represents a significant evolution from this parent association. NAPIPM Is Now So Much More...While the NAPIPM organization still serves the needs of QC Directors, the mission and character of the association changed.

A Broadening of Mission

Following the implementation of national Welfare Reform, the association's Executive Board recognized a need to broaden the role of NAPIPM to include professional staff involved with data collection and the monitoring of outcomes and performance in public assistance programs. The expanded role of the association encompasses many areas:

• Data Collection
• Quality Control
• Corrective Action
• Program Assessment
• Federal Performance Incentives
• Performance-based budgeting

In addition to the traditional Medicaid, TANF, and Food Stamp programs, many members are active in administering public assistance programs for:

• Transportation
• Employment Services
• Child and Adult Day Care
• Child Support Enforcement

Organization of NAPIPM

An affiliate of the American Public Human Services Association, an executive board governs NAPIPM. Board officers include the President, Past President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and 7 regional directors. Two APHSA representatives are advisors to our board. The membership elects board members for two-year terms.

The Board meets by teleconference the first Friday each month. Lasting about an hour, the members share news from their region and at the national level. This also is an opportunity to seek support from APHSA on issues affecting performance in public assistance programs.

The Regional Directors on the Board play a key role in communicating issues to and from the states in their region. From the teleconferences, they often learn of upcoming federal policy changes, proposed legislation, and unforeseen problems encountered by other states when implementing new policies. This information when shared with other states in their region helps bring about changes needed for effective application of public assistance programs.

About NAPIPM Committees

The committees and technical advisory groups (TAGs) are the heart of the association. These groups work one-on-one with representatives from the federal agencies. They help develop position papers, formally propose changes to federal procedures, analyze, and formally comment on proposed federal changes.

How much time does it take to be active on a TAG or Committee? That, of course, depends on the size of the issue. Typically the work includes commenting on drafted position papers, or making a few phone calls to colleagues in other states to share or obtain information. The Board understands that each member has a first commitment to their employer, and works to keep NAPIPM tasks manageable.