[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6095260,"mediaKeyId","2839965-e41ad1e5bc639dfcfa84e234dd87a30b","parentId",2839965,"title","King County DCHS says recent systems changes cut invoice processing time; capital payments remain timing challenge","audioSeconds",417,"startMs",4977000,"endMs",5394000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2839965-e41ad1e5bc639dfcfa84e234dd87a30b&start=4977&end=5394","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2839965-e41ad1e5bc639dfcfa84e234dd87a30b/thumbnail_4977000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6095260/King-County/Washington/King-County-DCHS-says-recent-systems-changes-cut-invoice-processing-time-capital-payments-remain-timing-challenge","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6095260-4dd85d95a0b78cdc431a54edfb7fe6f4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771174777&Signature=lCcsz3uTGS0PnZOL~dVgsc3iopOLB7rNw-bQ1aTzwnaxnMk1QI3l2orJpFduEdsrzF66uAV75VdJwwm6dziuUUgiMr76Kn6aM8yMSQl2ghUqRST2vh~ACYyNPQhe8~KnAIGFQjc0DUyJNuCw7Deg~5LROQBsjP~aKyHJ1u1vzLjTFqoHlfrd-zbR8XLhf2PL5mB74WwYzq4BJMGZ7n3HhcUrgFWg7STZXYrn460zfuVw37z4yLQfL8bFvHDhVTVH62aEnpLrffo7nXBkqNLFoHMh4BNRAZkK3VRqDhIKHPsTnYzLmWwHuURW3yX-q75VmgvVu3FptECQi5cN9t6TtA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","King County, WA","date","2025-04-01T00:00:00Z","article","The Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) told the Housing, Health and Human Services Committee on April 1 that process improvements implemented in 2023–24 — a new contract management system, added fiscal staff, and closer coordination with King County Finance (FBOD) — reduced average internal invoice processing time to around nine days and that FBOD typically completes an ACH or check payment within 48 hours after DCHS submits a requisition.

The presentation was offered in response to a 2024 budget proviso directing DCHS to present a plan to improve payment timelines for housing providers and human services contractors. DCHS officials said collecting and paying grants is a multi‑step \"relay\" involving contract setup, program manager review, finance review and central accounts payable; because many contracts use multiple fund sources, some invoices require allocation work that increases review time.

Jennifer Calderon, DCHS director of Impact and Data Strategy, and Acting CFO Kevin Lowe described a multi‑month effort that included agency training, implementation of an enterprise contract system (Agiloft) and targeted process checklists for large capital transactions. DCHS reported processing more than 7,000 invoices in 2024 and said end‑to‑end provider timelines have averaged about 11–15 days from invoice submission to funds in bank accounts (DCHS internal processing ~9 days plus county central processing ~2 days).

Calderon noted the department’s increased fiscal staffing addressed a backlog in behavioral health invoice processing in early 2024 that had pushed timelines higher; that backlog has been worked down. Lowe said the remaining timing pressure is concentrated in a small number of housing finance transactions — typically transit‑oriented development and other closings — that require time‑sensitive wire transfers to escrow. Those transactions have unique paperwork and closing windows that require closer cross‑department planning to ensure funds arrive by required dates.

DCHS said it has taken these steps to reduce delays:

- Implemented Agiloft for enterprise contract and invoice tracking (rolled out to the whole department in August 2024).
- Increased finance and compliance staff in DCHS to process invoices and clear backlogs.
- Created checklists and monthly coordination meetings with the county’s Finance and Business Operations Division (FBOD) and DCHS housing finance staff to flag time‑sensitive wire needs well before closing dates.

Officials said they are not requesting new resources at this moment but will continue to reassess needs for the 2026–27 budget cycle. The department also pledged refresher trainings for DCHS program and fiscal staff and to continue monthly monitoring of invoice timelines.

Committee members welcomed the update and directed staff to return with any resource requests during the next budget cycle. Chair Teresa Mosqueda thanked staff and asked that DCHS continue improving transparency so providers can better plan subcontractor and construction schedules.

Ending: DCHS will continue monthly reporting on payment timelines and return with any proposed supplemental or biennial budget adjustments if needed to sustain timely payments.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Health, Housing and Human Services Committee 4-1-25","oneSentenceSummary","DCHS told the committee that new contract systems, added fiscal staff and tighter coordination with central county finance have reduced average internal invoice processing to about nine days, though time‑sensitive housing capital wire payments require special handling.","taxTitle","King County, Washington","taxId",2541,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6095264,"King County partners point to wage boosts, inflation adjustments to stabilize human services workforce",2599,4553000,7152000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2839965-e41ad1e5bc639dfcfa84e234dd87a30b&start=4553&end=7152","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2839965-e41ad1e5bc639dfcfa84e234dd87a30b/thumbnail_4553000.jpg","/articles/6095264/King-County/Washington/King-County-partners-point-to-wage-boosts-inflation-adjustments-to-stabilize-human-services-workforce","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6095264-1330c5fb8e2758b9c2fc90704e5abe6b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771174777&Signature=UFXA7Yu5f-J2RElqgYf37fmv9dGAI97mSKTYNEq4ZeY5NML-L1mRD89c-JAnFznDnN7UatGucoEsIy04vzUxqP5i~iIIHkFrwB-qrB8A-kQ7mjT5debukBY-J9rNIjIoZnrNaVCrUv~-yOBNGFrUpBo71ZNsiW0KjXendr2VBEGATOMarn2gyBpVu8cIM6crj1~G73UPvEdfW-ds1eNzpU3pXt6hl8Pi2klFuEzxeePh5t3dkF8INWQd-MenCg5Ki~ERoPMTFkYkXrh5De4g48dZs8P3G4vIrSD~5GOdja6NqcyIkAR9ctEI5rJKxlnvlYnmTCo05aJva0A53OO1uQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","King County officials, labor representatives and researchers told the county’s Housing, Health and Human Services Committee on April 1 that investments in wages and contract inflation adjustments are beginning to reduce turnover in nonprofit human services organizations, but that a substantial, multi‑year funding effort will be required to close long‑standing pay gaps and preserve service capacity.

DCHS Director Kelly Reiter summarized the county’s \"sustainable funding vision\": budget for annual inflation; promote and fund living wages; and pay services at their full cost. She described recent workforce investments in the Best Starts for Kids and Veterans, Seniors & Human Services levies and the department’s strategy to prioritize inflation adjustments when unanticipated revenues appear.

\"We can only achieve our needed results for the community through a robust and representative human services workforce,\" Reiter told the committee. She emphasized that DCHS contracts with more than 500 organizations and has been working to incorporate inflation adjustments into implementation plans for several levies and initiatives.

Lauren Fay of Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) and Lindsay Grad of SEIU 1199 Northwest described a decade of work to raise wages and reduce vacancies. Fay said DESC tracked wages against regional nonprofit benchmarks beginning in 2016; entry-level wages at DESC rose from about $16.32 in 2019 to about $30.50 at the end of 2024. Fay said vacancy and turnover rates peaked during the COVID years but fell sharply after local investments such as the City of Seattle’s payroll tax and other contract adjustments.

\"Inflation adjustments to our contracts have been a huge, huge component to this,\" Fay said. She warned that renewed federal uncertainty could make the sector fragile again and urged continued local commitment to inflation adjustments.

Jennifer Romich, a professor at the University of Washington School of Social Work who led a 2023 wage‑equity study, summarized the research findings: nonprofit human services workers in King County face substantial wage gaps compared with workers in non‑care industries. Romich said the study found a roughly 30% wage gap between human services workers and comparable non‑care workers; closing that gap would require raises on the order of 40% or more, depending on the baseline used. The report recommended immediate real (net of inflation) pay increases and structural contracting changes to address long‑term inequities.

SEIU's Grad and DESC’s Fay described a three‑way labor‑management‑county partnership to set wage goals and track progress. Grad said the structural approach — embedding inflation adjustments and benchmarks directly into contracting and bargaining — has improved recruitment and retention and reduces service risk for clients.

DCHS also described a set of workforce programs: the Best Starts for Kids child care wage boost pilot that will support about 1,400 child care providers beginning in April, a Veterans, Seniors and Human Services levy workforce stabilization strategy due this fall, and workforce investments made through the Behavioral Health and Recovery programs. Reiter said DCHS is prioritizing funding for inflation adjustments in implementation plans and will use unanticipated local revenues first to stabilize existing contracts rather than create new programs.

Committee members asked how county and state revenue proposals might sustain the gains. Reiter and SEIU urged state and county progressive revenue measures and noted pending state bills, including one (House Bill 1858) that would alter document recording fee exemptions to increase housing and homelessness funds. Council members signaled support for continued state lobbying and said they would press for revenue tools to insulate local services from federal volatility.

Ending: The committee asked staff and partners to continue reporting on workforce stabilization results, coordinate state advocacy, and include inflation and wage priorities in upcoming budget discussions.","County officials, researchers and labor-management partners told a committee on April 1 that targeted wage increases, annual inflation adjustments and labor‑management partnerships are reducing turnover but that larger, sustained investments are needed to close historic pay gaps in the human services sector.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6095269,"King County officials, providers warn federal funding cuts could disrupt local health, housing and human services",110,985000,1095000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2839965-e41ad1e5bc639dfcfa84e234dd87a30b&start=985&end=1095","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2839965-e41ad1e5bc639dfcfa84e234dd87a30b/thumbnail_985000.jpg","/articles/6095269/King-County/Washington/King-County-officials-providers-warn-federal-funding-cuts-could-disrupt-local-health-housing-and-human-services","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6095269-822f48ec7b4755990abee48e1dbb621f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771174777&Signature=Xu92qwkz7JV~AkhFw2vb2S~I-0V7Osu~-wnft6yVIvvRsX5zLxvt9ZM4moPMjntRKaPZXPr3dhNo18BulJRsFwCpNSdxe70qaFHPF7Imm88bPe8Y2-ABbU-8YT5S7PsVAciXofKU6~gb1HNHhgjg5Gf~BGPYsr6ldovWy9j~Y2g~bU9hjvOg4uOWi4NubEuvz-tpUkENk~Vs4FrDrE505dzJv0kGxMpv2bqgM-2w4SNVzeQua13-b7CePoRZyu5P2DlKmRDiYUqkMvWuU0HlKEvOFefnq2GPF1H4J3zqT64E5hAuG4w96oLeMR3SlbV4wHHSLoKPMpojXmYKaD1HKg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","King County officials and community providers told the committee overseeing housing, health and human services on April 1 that recent federal actions — including pausing grants, imposing new conditions, and possible deep cuts in next year’s federal budget — are already disrupting local programs and could force service reductions, layoffs and program closures.

The warning came during a briefing led by Dwight Dively, director of the Office of Performance, Strategy and Budget, followed by presentations from community health center HealthPoint and housing provider Plymouth Housing. County leaders and providers described recent examples of funding pauses, grant cancellations and new conditions attached to renewals, and outlined how those actions ripple through local service networks.

The committee was told the problem has three parts: (1) federally appropriated grants and contracts are being paused or payments withheld; (2) routine renewals are increasingly being returned with new conditions that local law or county policy cannot accept; and (3) congressional budget moves and House budget resolutions point toward large domestic discretionary cuts that, if enacted, would reduce many programs counties rely on. King County’s analysts said those pressures are already producing immediate administrative and service risks.

\"This literally changes every day,\" said Dwight Dively, director of the Office of Performance, Strategy and Budget. He told the committee the county received updated cut notices as late as 10 p.m. the night before the briefing. Dively said the county receives roughly $200 million in federal revenue that the office tracks daily, not counting Medicaid pass-through dollars. He described recent examples: the Environmental Protection Agency terminated a roughly $1 million grant for indoor air quality work; several public health pandemic-era grants were canceled, reducing this year's spending ability by about $2 million even though the total cancelled amounts were larger; and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funding stream of about $11 million annually had a $1.4 million portion canceled the prior day.

Dively said some federal court injunctions have forced agencies in some districts to keep funding flowing, but the pattern is inconsistent and litigation is likely to reach the U.S. Supreme Court. He also described recent federal notices suggesting unspent pandemic-related funds could be clawed back, and a U.S. Treasury announcement about such recoveries. \"There is no consistent pattern; it presumably depends on who at an agency is deciding whether or not they are going to comply with the federal court order,\" Dively said.

HealthPoint President and CEO Lisa Yeoman said Medicaid is the largest single funding source for community health centers and that potential federal Medicaid cuts would be devastating. HealthPoint serves just over 100,000 King County residents, Yeoman said, including approximately 62,000 patients covered by Medicaid; 77% of HealthPoint’s funding comes from Medicaid and the center treats roughly 16,000 uninsured patients. She said proposed changes such as \"work requirements\" or reductions in reimbursement rates would both reduce access and lower the revenue that clinics need to operate.

\"Cuts to Medicaid would increase the number of people who are uninsured, likely increasing demand at health centers while also significantly decreasing revenues that health centers rely on,\" Yeoman said.

Sarah Dickmeyer, External Affairs Manager at Plymouth Housing, described how federal pauses and new conditions have already heightened uncertainty for housing providers. Plymouth operates 17 buildings and expects to operate additional properties this year; many residents rely on Medicaid, vouchers and other public benefits. She said HUD’s March guidance paused renewal awards after April and introduced new conditions tied to executive orders on issues like immigration and DEI, and that Continuum of Care renewals and voucher funding are areas Plymouth is monitoring closely. Soy said higher tariffs are already being priced into construction budgets, increasing future development costs.

Committee Chair Teresa Mosqueda and council members asked executives and providers about contingency plans. Dively said some county units, such as Public Health, have modest fund balances that could temporarily cover shortfalls. He also said the county is considering litigation and has been coordinating with other jurisdictions. \"In what cases does the county — particularly if we're in litigation to try to get the money — say we will continue to pay you using our own money with the hope of getting it back from the feds? It is a very complicated question to answer,\" he said.

Public commenters who attended the meeting connected federal executive action to local impacts. Kenneth Randolph urged the council to sponsor resolutions opposing federal executive orders and to request an emergency proclamation; Janet Wei from Shoreline made a similar public appeal for public debate and local action.

The committee agreed to continue monthly briefings on the topic and signaled support for coordination with congressional partners and local providers to track and document impacts.

Looking ahead, Dively and county staff said their top near-term concerns are (1) grant renewals returned with conditions the county cannot accept, (2) further cancellations of pandemic- or crisis-related grants, and (3) the possibility that a House budget resolution could lead to deep cuts in domestic discretionary spending, including programs that fund public health, housing and behavioral health services. Larger structural changes discussed by witnesses — including talk in some federal circles about eliminating whole agencies such as FEMA or the federal library agency — would present longer-term systemic risks if carried out.

The committee requested continued message coordination with state and congressional partners and additional briefings to collect provider stories that could support litigation or advocacy.

For now, county staff and providers emphasized that the combined effect of paused grants, conditional renewals and possible broad budget reductions could reduce services, create staffing layoffs, and increase homelessness and unmet behavioral-health needs unless mitigations are found.

Ending: Chair Mosqueda directed staff to keep the committee updated and to return with additional examples and requests for support as the situation evolves.","County analysts and community providers told a King County committee on April 1 that abrupt federal funding pauses, new conditions on grants and proposed federal budget cuts are already disrupting programs the county and local nonprofits rely on for public health, housing and behavioral health services.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

King County DCHS says recent systems changes cut invoice processing time; capital payments remain timing challenge

King County partners point to wage boosts, inflation adjustments to stabilize human services workforce

King County officials, providers warn federal funding cuts could disrupt local health, housing and human services