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Committee hears $15M one-time and $4.2M ongoing child-care proposals; START certification and SWITC updates promised
Summary
Legislative staff and Health and Welfare officials outlined a reorganization that moves several developmental and child-care programs into Medicaid and early learning, described requests for $15 million in one-time child-care federal funds and $4.2 million ongoing, and updated the committee on START certification and SWITC improvements.
At the Feb. 20 Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee meeting, Legislative Services and Department of Health and Welfare officials described reorganization changes that move several developmental-disability and early-learning programs and presented funding requests for the Idaho Child Care Program (ICCP) and START certification work.
Alex Williamson, Legislative Services budget analyst, explained the reorganization: several programs historically in the Developmental Disability Services division will be moved under Medicaid and the newly named Early Learning and Development division. She said community developmental disability services, the Southwest Idaho Treatment Center (SWITC) and extended employment services have historically been part of the division, but that program placement in budgets will change as reorganization takes effect.
Child care funding: Williamson said the governor recommended $15 million one-time installments (to be deployed over three years) using underutilized Child Care and Development Block Grant funds and included an ongoing $4.2 million request for the Idaho Child Care Program. Director Alex Adams described difficult choices the department made last year when ICCP spending risked exceeding the appropriation. "If we treated it as an entitlement, I would have needed $68.2 million. So I would have needed $15.4 million. ... I chose the latter," Adams said, referring to pausing enrollment to live within the Legislature's appropriation. He told the committee the department paused new enrollment and later lifted the pause in January after corrective actions.
START certification and SWITC: Williamson identified a START certification request (year three of four) with a $249,200 one-time request and said the agency will provide a required progress report later in the summer. Agency and facility leaders said START practices have been used at SWITC and contributed to improved compliance and case outcomes. Allison Tate, a division administrator with the department, said recent START application of the clinical model increased enrollments: a team using the START model increased enrollments from five to 10 in a short period and some long-term SWITC residents moved out after receiving START-based interventions.
Facility operations and capital questions: Senator Cook asked why SWITC requested a walk-in cooler and lighting repairs. Allison Tate said bulk food purchasing and shared kitchen capacity can reduce food costs across facilities; buying in bulk and using a walk-in cooler could lower food expenses for State Hospital West and similar units. Williamson had earlier noted a one-time supplemental and prior capital spending at SWITC related to demolition and construction.
Vacancies and staffing: Williamson said the division is authorized for 306.71 FTP and reported 38.71 vacancies, with nine posted and seven in interview; the agency had placed about 18 positions under review to control personnel spending.
Medicaid overlap and next steps: several committee members noted many developmental-disability programs now appear in the Medicaid budget; Adams and staff said that topic will be part of a follow-up Medicaid hearing. The department agreed to provide the START progress report and additional detail on ICCP corrective actions and program enrollment metrics.
No formal votes were taken on these items during the hearing.
