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Washington County officials flag social services shortfall tied to foster care and homelessness costs
Summary
County social services staff told the Health and Human Services committee that high-cost foster care placements, increased homelessness spending and delayed state reimbursements drove a major rise in net local social services costs; staff said a resolution to adjust appropriations will come next month.
WASHINGTON COUNTY — Department of Social Services staff told the County Committee on Health and Human Services on May 28 that the department’s budget is under stress because of high-cost foster care placements, rising homeless assistance bills and timing issues with state reimbursements.
Tammy, a Department of Social Services staff member, told the committee that expenditures are presented “as of May 20” while revenue claims are only through March 31, which complicates early-year comparisons. She said a state claims review corrected a prior coding error that shifted a very expensive placement out of the foster care line and into family assistance, a change that will reduce local cost exposure for last year’s spending. “One placement … was roughly $23,000 a month,” Tammy said, and the retroactive correction is “roughly $450,000…
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