Professional Appointee Court Expenditure 1.0 (ePACE)

About the Program

Category: Information Technology (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

The Professional Appointee Court Expenditure 1.0 (ePACE) system is used by the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles (Court) to pay attorneys, doctors, investigators, experts, and other professionals appointed by the Court to provide indigent defense services. The ePACE system provides a uniform and efficient claims processing system that supports County contractual requirements. ePACE began on April 4, 2022, when the Court’s 34 year old legacy PACE system transitioned to an improved web-based solution. ePACE eliminates paper forms and manual routing, utilizes business rules to guide claimants (court users) through the claim entry process, and electronically routes claims between court staff, judicial officers, and professional appointees. It also provides a self-service claim tracker for professional appointees to monitor processing status and view previously paid claims, prevents human and mathematical errors, eliminates lost and illegible paper claims, and significantly improves claim processing time. Through stakeholder input and collaboration, ePACE further enhances access to justice by ensuring that appointed professionals receive timely and accurate payments. ePACE modernized and streamlined the claims processing throughout the county, improving efficiency, accuracy, and transparency for all parties involved.