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Area agencies tell Senate committee caseload and workload models are outdated; bill would require accurate DHS forecasts
Summary
Senate Bill 1074 drew testimony March 6 from area agencies on aging and disability directors who said Department of Human Services caseload forecasts and workload models are outdated and undercount service need for older adults and people with disabilities.
Senate Bill 1074 drew extended testimony March 6 from area agency on aging representatives and local directors who said current caseload forecasts and workload models used by the Department of Human Services are outdated and undercount the number of older adults and people with disabilities who need services.
Nicole Palmaterre and Hazel Baker, testifying for O4AD, the Oregon Association of Area Agencies on Aging and Disabilities, said their 16 member agencies serve nearly 60% of the state’s caseload and that the department’s forecasting and workload modeling is performed by DHS’s forecasting unit — not Aging and People with Disabilities (APD). “Outside of a small adjustment made in 2020, the last time the workload model was updated was 2017,” Palmaterre told the committee, adding that many regulatory and program changes since 2017 have not been reflected in the model.
Debra Hackenberg, executive director of Northwest Senior and Disability Services, said reliance on outdated assumptions forces repeated emergency legislative fixes and creates downstream problems for recruitment, retention and compliance. “When workload estimates fail to reflect reality, it leads to delays in care, increased stress on families and all of my colleagues doing this really difficult work stretched beyond capacity,” Hackenberg said.
Witnesses described particular causes of increased workload: more complex cases, higher behavioral health needs, new Medicaid waiver requirements, and inadequate placement options. They said some local agencies have data that show caseload growth years earlier than the DHS forecasts reflect; Multnomah County’s analysis was cited as an example.
Testimony said DHS has begun work on updating workload methods using consultants and self-attestation, but that the department’s timeline places substantial updates as late as 2027. Witnesses and committee discussion called for more timely, regular updates to the workload model and for caseload forecasts to drive accurate biennial budget requests.
Committee members noted submitted testimony in the legislative record and requested that DHS appear to answer implementation and timeline questions if the bill is taken up for a work session. No committee vote was taken at the hearing.
