KDADS outlines staffing shortfalls at state hospitals, reports bonuses and scheduling changes reduced use of contract staff in places

Scott Brunner, Deputy Secretary for Hospitals at the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), told the committee that state hospitals continue to face high vacancy and turnover rates for nurses, security and direct‑care staff but that targeted incentives and operational changes have produced measurable improvements.

Why it matters: KDADS operates four state hospitals (two serving people in psychiatric crisis and two serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities). High vacancies force the agency to rely heavily on contract (agency) nurses and direct‑care staff, which significantly increases costs and can affect continuity of care.

Staffing snapshot: Brunner presented vacancy and turnover metrics. As of the most recent snapshot he cited, vacancy rates for key direct care roles at Larned were about 36% overall and Osawatomie about 34% overall; licensed nurse vacancies were substantial at several campuses (reported RN vacancy examples over 50% in some snapshots). KDADS reported a history of relying on agency staffing and displayed year‑by‑year contract staffing expenditures that rose markedly during recent years; KDADS said it spent roughly $41.3 million on contract staffing for state hospitals in FY2024 and estimated about $43.7 million for FY2025.

Bonuses and operational steps: KDADS told the committee it implemented a proviso‑enabled set of bonuses and incentives in FY2024 including sign‑on, retention (split payments at six and 12 months), referral and pickup‑shift bonuses and a longevity payment for unclassified staff. Brunner said that after implementing pickup‑shift and retention bonuses in July, three campuses reduced or eliminated agency use for daytime coverage and pickups increased; KDADS reported numbers of bonuses paid (for example, roughly 1,755 pickup shifts paid and 213 longevity bonuses among the hospitals during the initial payout period).

Other actions: KDADS is experimenting with self‑scheduling, targeted staffing optimization and pilot efforts to allow three‑12 hour schedules while keeping benefit eligibility; they are also considering tuition‑support or loan‑repayment approaches to grow “home‑grown” clinical staff and noted past difficulty converting some trainees because students working long hours could not finish academic requirements.

Questions and community suggestions: lawmakers raised housing and daycare as community factors affecting hiring in remote locations (Norton, Larned). Brunner said campuses had local support and that KDADS would continue exploring incentives and partnerships with communities and foundations to address housing and childcare barriers.

Ending: KDADS said the recent bonuses and scheduling pilots had some measurable impact on reducing agency overtime and vacancies at certain campuses but that long‑term stability will require continued investment, training pipelines and local partnerships.