Larimer County: HR1 would shift SNAP and Medicaid costs to states, raise redetermination and staffing burdens

Larimer County human services leaders told the Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 8 that changes in the federal law known as HR1 would shift significant costs to Colorado and local governments, expand work requirements for SNAP and Medicaid beneficiaries, and sharply increase eligibility redeterminations and staffing needs.

The county’s presentation said Colorado faces two simultaneous cost shifts: smaller federal support for SNAP administrative costs and a new state match for some SNAP benefit dollars tied to each state’s payment error rate. County staff also outlined a separate set of Medicaid changes that would require redeterminations every six months and add an activity-based work requirement for certain adults.

Why it matters: County staff said the combined effects could mean millions in added local costs, heavier caseloads for eligibility staff, and potential losses of health and food benefits for residents who do not meet new documentation or activity requirements. The county is awaiting federal guidance on many details, so staff emphasized planning, staffing and coordinated community outreach to reduce harms.

What county staff said

Heather O’Hare, Larimer County human services director, said the county is preparing for added workload and cross-system impacts. "We are waiting on guidance from USDA on implementing these provisions," Hannah Ditzenberger, a policy analyst, told commissioners when outlining SNAP changes; O’Hare and Vanessa Fuel, division manager with the county Department of Human Services, described the local impacts and planning steps.

Hannah Ditzenberger, human services policy analyst, summarized SNAP…