County staff warn HR1 could add millions in costs and workload; SNAP, Medicaid changes set phased timeline

Human services and public health staff told the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners during a work session that the federal budget bill HR1 introduced a staggered set of SNAP and Medicaid changes that will increase administrative workload, expose the state and counties to benefit cost‑sharing tied to SNAP payment error rates, and could add millions to Jefferson County—s annual costs.

"Implementation for Snap then would start in October '25, and then it would proceed continuously from October '25 all the way to, 2029 and ongoing," Mary Berg, Human Services director, told the commissioners while reviewing the timeline staff had assembled from state guidance.

Why it matters: HR1 reinstates or expands work requirements for SNAP and sets new Medicaid rules for the Medicaid "expansion" population. Those program changes have different start dates and data‑measurement windows; counties must prepare both for front‑line casework and for financial exposure tied to SNAP payment error rates that will begin to be measured in October 2025 and could trigger a state share of benefit costs starting in October 2027.

Caseload and staffing estimates

County staff provided local estimates for the groups most likely to be affected. "We are estimating at this time that in Jefferson County, our expanded population is a little over 33,000 people right now," said Jessie Antonucci, community assistance director, describing the Medicaid population created by the Affordable Care Act expansion that will be subject to some HR1 provisions.

County eligibility and…