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County Department of Human Services outlines SNAP and Medicaid changes, error‑rate concerns
Summary
Department of Human Services Director Carmen McKay briefed commissioners on federal SNAP and Medicaid provisions in recent legislation, potential impacts tied to error‑rate calculations, and county caseload and staffing updates.
Carmen McKay, director of Rio Blanco County Department of Human Services, updated the Board of County Commissioners on federal SNAP and Medicaid changes tied to recent legislation and the potential effects on county funding and operations.
McKay said a provision discussed in recent federal legislation would change how SNAP administrative funding is adjusted when a state’s error rate exceeds certain thresholds: jurisdictions with error rates under 6% would remain fully funded, while those with error rates in higher bands could see reduced federal funding percentages. McKay reported Rio Blanco County’s local error rate is effectively 0% and that the state average was approximately 9.976% as of the material McKay referenced. "If it goes over the 6 to 8% rate error rate, it's 95%, and then it goes down from there depending on where your error rate is," McKay said.
McKay said the county plans to discuss a coordinated approach with the Colorado Human Services Directors Association (CHSDA), the Colorado Counties, Inc. (CCI) lobbyists and other counties to seek protections for counties that maintain low error rates. She said a meeting with CHSDA and CCI was scheduled for the following week to consider legislative options and advocacy strategies.
On Medicaid, McKay said provisions in the legislation would begin ramping down provider fee mechanisms that states use to boost federal Medicaid drawdowns, which will change state‑federal matching dynamics over a multiyear period beginning in 2028. "Beginning in 2028, we ramped down the provider fee limits...from 6% to 3.5% over the course of 5 years," McKay said, summarizing the changes being discussed.
McKay also provided local program details: Rio Blanco County currently has about 1,130 combined SNAP/Medicaid cases, staff training updates (a new worker completing MAGI and SNAP training) and enrollment for program staff. She said SNAP implementation dates in the federal materials discussed were expected to start in 2026 or 2027, with Medicaid changes beginning in 2028, giving counties time to plan.
Ending: McKay said DHS will pursue interagency conversations and possible legislative options to protect counties that maintain low error rates and will report back to the board after the next stakeholder meeting.
