CICS to transition to state Disability Access Point model; officials say staffing will shrink and budgets will narrow

Russell, a representative from CICS, told the Franklin County Board that the agency received contracts for three of seven districts and is preparing to transition from the regional Mental Health and Disability Services (MHDS) model to the state’s Disability Access Point (DAP) model, a change he said will reduce the organization’s service budget and alter staffing levels.

Russell said, “At this point in time, we only have 3 employees that we will not retain that have not found other jobs,” and described an active hiring plan: “we are advertising and we are interviewing starting today for 2 people in District 2, 2 people in District 3, and 2 people in District 6.”

The change will shift the region’s funding profile. Russell said the region’s current budget is “approximately $24,000,000” because it covers both services and staff; under the DAP contract, CICS will “only be paying for staff” and he estimated the future budget “will be somewhere around in the neighborhood a little over $4,000,000.” He also said Franklin County will receive $142,000 per district prior to July 1 that “will come into Franklin County into our budgets.”

Why it matters: the DAP model narrows what CICS will fund directly (staff versus service payments) and changes who pays service-specific costs, which affects how clients are routed and how counties administer payroll and claims.

Russell described operational and governance implications. He said CICS is working with the state and with other districts to standardize the DAP contract relative to the MHDS region contract. He said the region is offboarding some clients to administrative service organizations and onboarding others, and stressed the DAP scope extends beyond intellectual and developmental disabilities to “anything that ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act, would consider a disability.”

From a governance perspective, Russell said the entity will remain a 28E intergovernmental arrangement and described board membership changes under the “20/80” structure. He said the board agreed at a prior meeting to allow counties a later withdrawal effective date: “At our last board meeting, the board did agree that they would push that back 6 months. So if a county wanted to withdraw, they could withdraw 01/01/2026.” He emphasized that participation and representation vary among the 15 counties the region currently covers.

Russell flagged operational transitions across payroll and fiscal agents: Story County will continue as fiscal agent for MHDS payouts through the contract end, and Franklin County will begin serving as fiscal agent for DAP payouts on July 1; he said this will require dual claim approvals for a short period and a minor payroll crossover around June 30. He also said staff moves, office lease changes, and new contracts are underway.

Russell acknowledged practical challenges of serving people in institutions and following federal guidance: “we are picking up an institution that has about 30 people in it,” and he referenced the Olmstead principle that states aim to provide community-based services where possible. He added that CICS covers a large geography and population and that some newly covered areas may have fewer local services than the region currently offers.

Board direction and next steps: Russell said CICS will continue coordinating with the state’s six-month transition policy and will work to get clients and staff transitioned without service interruption. He said the region is still finalizing board membership makeup and staffing details and will complete closeout tasks through the end of the calendar year for counties that leave the arrangement.

Ending: County supervisors and staff heard the update and asked no formal follow-up motions at the meeting; Russell said CICS will continue working with counties, the state, and internal staff on hiring, fiscal transitions, and client transfers through the July 1 start of the DAP model and the state’s six-month transition window.