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Human Services explores Medicaid‑reimbursed Community Recovery Services as placements drive budget pressure
Summary
Dunn County Department of Human Services reported a proposal to add Community Recovery Services (CRS), a Medicaid‑reimbursable program, and described placement costs that have driven projected budget shortfalls. Board approved two budget amendments and noted vouchers at the meeting.
Paula, speaking for the Department of Human Services, told the board Sept. 25 that staff are investigating Community Recovery Services (CRS), a Medicaid‑reimbursable program some neighboring counties already run, as a way to expand services and recoup costs tied to placements in community residential settings.
Paula described CRS as a program that reimburses for community living supports, peer supports and supported employment and can be provided in community settings including community‑based residential facilities and adult family homes. “One of the things the program can't do is it doesn't reimburse for room and board,” she said, “but it does reimburse for community living supports.”
Paula said the 2026 proposed budget included about $300,000 in placement costs for CBRS and adult family homes; if provider documentation and billing practices are correct the county might recoup “about a third of that back” through Medicaid billing and related mechanisms. She said program setup would require provider training and initial manager time but could allow some placement‑related costs to be billed rather than borne entirely by county levy.
Paula also summarized current budget pressures driven by a higher‑than‑budgeted volume of high‑cost placements, including juvenile justice and IMD (institutional mental disease) placements. She told the board that a spreadsheet error had artificially inflated month‑to‑month revenue projections and that staff are seeking training to avoid future reporting errors.
Procedural actions at the meeting related to department finance: the board noted review of the August DHS vouchers totaling $383,608.72; approved a human services budget amendment that increased the budget by $12,302; and approved a public health budget adjustment of $18,354. The board voted to approve the August minutes earlier in the meeting. Paula said human services staff will return with more detailed program and budget proposals as needed; no new program implementation decisions were finalized Sept. 25.
