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Custer County human services reports jump in foster placements; officials warn HR 1 could cut food assistance
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Summary
Custer County Human Services told commissioners on Sept. 17 that foster placements rose sharply in August and that changes proposed in federal HR 1 could reduce SNAP and EBT benefits for dozens of county residents unless state guidance and exemptions are clarified.
Custer County Human Services Director Vicki briefed the Custer County Board of County Commissioners on Aug. financial and workload data during the board’s Sept. 17 meeting, reporting a sharp increase in foster placements and outlining potential impacts from proposed federal changes to food assistance.
Vicki said the county’s out-of-home placement costs for foster care jumped to $46,823 for August after the number of children in placement rose “from 1 child in placement to now we have 7 in placement.” The department recorded total EBT (food assistance) issuances of $135,610 for August.
The information matters because the department also summarized preliminary state estimates of how HR 1 — federal legislation that would reimpose or expand work and eligibility requirements for some SNAP recipients — could affect local recipients. Vicki relayed state figures covering categories that could lose or see reduced benefits, singling out able-bodied adults without a disability (ABAWDs) and households that receive a heating/cooling utility allowance (HCUA) credit.
According to the presentation, Colorado-wide counts used by the state included about 81,102 ABAWDs who could be subject to renewed work requirements; statewide 207,425 recipients could lose the HCUA-related credit. At the county level, Vicki said 47 Custer County residents fall into the ABAWD age band identified by the state and that 112 county residents appear in the state system as receiving the heating/cooling credit. The department reported 543 medical-assistance cases (1,329 individuals) locally.
Vicki also provided child-support collections figures: Custer County received $17,526.29 in child-support payments in August and $147,706.49 year to date, she said. On eligibility work, she told commissioners that the department processed 12 new applications in August (about 70% approved) and 41 redeterminations (about 71% approved).
Commissioners asked for clarification about who is counted as “homeless” under state reporting and about household compositions used in the ABOD/ABAWD tallies. Vicki explained that the state’s definition of homelessness can include temporary living situations such as couch‑surfing, living in a vehicle or tent, or other temporary arrangements; she said the county’s report lists two people flagged as homeless in the state system. When commissioners pressed on the local count for people who could be affected by work requirements, Vicki pointed to the county breakdown in her slides and said the state data feed does not perfectly map to local records.
Vicki told the board she had not yet received state guidance on medical-assistance impacts and that the state is still finalizing guidance and systems changes. She said the department will forward updates to the commissioners as the state provides more detailed instructions and data.
Commissioners did not take direct action on the human-services report; the presentation served as an informational briefing and a prompt for future follow-up on state guidance.
