Developmental Services NWK reports funding delays, waiting-list progress and transit cuts; KidLink staffing restored

Jerry Michaux, president of Developmental Services Northwest Kansas, told the Ellis County Commission on Jan. 21 that the nonprofit is operating amid statewide system changes that affect assessments, funding and service definitions.

Michaux said DSNWK contracts with the state and received a partial payment in mid-January for services delivered since July 2024; the timing required use of organizational reserves to cover a payment gap. He flagged potential policy changes driven by state and federal guidance that could alter service roles and create perceived conflicts of interest between service coordination and service provision.

Michaux said the statewide waiting list for Medicaid home-and-community-based services has shortened somewhat: recent state movements removed several hundred people from the statewide list, including about 20 people from Northwest Kansas and eight from Ellis County. He said the current request date on the wait list translates to roughly a nine-year waiting period. Michaux also announced DSNWK is opening a small residential site in Hays expected to serve three people; startup funding came from a private donor and a local foundation and included volunteer labor and grants through Heartland Community Foundation and GiveFest.

On workforce, Michaux said DSNWK had about 26 open positions last week, including 18 in the Ellis County area, and that inflation has consumed much of a recent rate increase.

Blake Cruz, transportation manager for Access Public Transportation (a service of DSNWK), said Access provided more than 15,000 rides since July 1 and about 1,100 county rides in the last six months. Cruz said KDOT and the Federal Transit Administration cuts required a change in operational hours to balance the budget: Access now prioritizes days with higher ridership (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) and has delayed new vehicles. He said two buses ordered in fiscal year 2023 were delayed by chassis production; vehicle costs have risen from about $90,000 eight years ago to roughly $194,000 per bus on recent orders. Cruz said local matching rules (roughly an 80/20 split) mean additional local funding could leverage more state/federal support, but statewide allocations among 47 providers still limit the total funding available.

Sarah Biggs, DSNWK director of programs and services, reported KidLink early-intervention services for July–December: 53 referrals and active caseload increases (31 in July–September; 34 in October–December for Ellis County). Biggs said KidLink has expanded screening with USD 489 to reach ages 0–5, hosted interagency coordination meetings and achieved full staffing in January after years of vacancies.

Commissioners acknowledged the services and discussed carrying messages about essential services and system stability to state legislators and at upcoming meetings in Topeka and Washington, D.C.

No formal county action or new county funding requests were taken during the presentation.