Appropriations panel hears DHHS budget overview, FTE block‑grant and staffing data

Interim Health and Human Services Commissioner Dirk Wilke told the House Appropriations subcommittee on Human Resources that the department's biennial salary appropriation is about $551,700,000 and that the agency has been operating under an FTE "block grant" pilot that gives HHS flexibility to manage hiring and repurposing positions across the agency.

The pilot was approved in the 2023 session and removes a fixed head‑count cap for the department, so HHS manages to a single salary appropriation rather than a fixed total of authorized FTE. "The block grant includes all compensation over time, bonuses paid, promotional increases, health insurance premiums," Deputy Commissioner Sarah Stolt told the committee, summarizing how the department counts total personnel costs.

Why it matters: Committee members pressed for granular detail because HHS manages roughly $5.7 billion overall, of which about $551.7 million is the salary and benefits pool; roughly $4.8 billion flows out to vendors and providers. Changes to HHS staffing and how vacancies are used affect Medicaid payments, long‑term care, behavioral health and other services paid through federal, state and special funds.

Overview and numbers

Wilke gave a headline view of the department's organization and priorities and described the FTE block‑grant approach as a response to workforce volatility and specialized staffing needs. HHS told the committee the approved technical FTE figure from the 2023 appropriation is 2,581.83 FTE. Department witnesses said the number of filled positions hovers around 2,400 and that, as of a December 1 snapshot provided to legislative…