House subcommittee reviews governors DHS budget as lawmakers press on Bridges, childcare and SNAP

The Rhode Island House Finance subcommittee on health and human services heard an overview of the governor's recommended budget for the Department of Human Services on April 1, focusing on caseload-driven programs, the aftermath of a December data breach to the Rhode Island Bridges eligibility system and a number of time-limited grants and pilots.

Why it matters: DHS administers the state's major benefit programs and houses the Office of Healthy Aging. Changes to federal policy, the state's caseload estimates and the recovery of the Bridges system affect how much the state must budget for SNAP, Medicaid-related benefits and child-care subsidies.

The governor's recommendation preserves current service levels for caseload and benefits but assumes federal laws and policies in effect as of January 2025. Linda, the presenting fiscal staff member, said the combined budgets for agencies under the executive office total about $6.3 billion for FY2025 and $6.4 billion for FY2026, with Medicaid and related programs making up a large share of the spending.

Key program numbers and changes cited by state fiscal staff: - SNAP: The governor recommends $393.1 million for FY2025 and $398.0 million for FY2026, primarily for benefits. The assembly added $11.0 million for a SNAP summer benefit program; the governor included $14.1 million in FY2025 and $14.8 million in FY2026 for related program expenses as participation increased. - TANF: The budget includes about $118.9 million from TANF funds for 2025 and $122.4 million for 2026; the bulk supports child-care and Rhode Island Works services. - Rhode Island Works (cash assistance): The governor's recommendation follows the November caseload estimate, showing roughly $35.5 million for 2025 and $37.3 million for 2026 (including related non-cash supports such as bus passes and clothing). - Child care assistance: The budget recommendation is $71.7 million for FY2025 and $74.0 million for FY2026. The Assembly's 2024 actions raised provider rates by 5% and created a one-year pilot extending childcare benefits to eligible childcare educators; that pilot is scheduled to expire on July 31, 2025 under current law and the governor did not propose to extend it. - Head Start: State support of Head Start is recommended at $4.2 million (a mix of TANF and general revenue) to support approximately the equivalent of 30 children in state-funded slots.

Rhode Island Bridges recovery and Snap Connect Linda described the December 2024 data breach that took Bridges offline and forced DHS to revert to paper processes and manual workarounds for certain functions. Agency leaders said customer-facing benefits were maintained but some provider payments were delayed; the customer portal and mobile app have been restored and a phased bring-back approach continued through spring 2025.

DHS director Erica Brito said call-center wait time had fallen from a 56-minute average a year earlier to 24 minutes, and that restoration work had returned most system capabilities to service. The agency reported phased releases and the mobile application was relaunched during the review period. Brito also described an appointment-only pilot for one Providence site intended to improve in-person service flow while preserving walk-in and telephone access.

Childcare and related pilots Lawmakers pressed DHS staff on the childcare-for-educators pilot and other pandemic-era stabilization programs. DHS officials said the pilot was unchanged in the governor's recommendation and would expire per current law, with the FY2026 numbers reflecting automatic 12-month continuous enrollment rules rather than a program extension. The budget also reflects previously appropriated federal stabilization funds and a $15.0 million capital distribution to providers established by the Assembly.

SNAP Healthy Incentives and retailers The subcommittee discussed the SNAP healthy incentives pilot (50 incentive cents per dollar spent on produce), initially funded with general revenue. Agency staff said remaining unobligated funds from prior appropriations were programmed for FY2025. Lawmakers raised retailer technology barriers to implementing the incentives; DHS staff said administrative costs to equip and integrate retailer POS systems are a known hurdle and that the department continues outreach and technical assistance.

Medicaid caseloads, UHIP and other fiscal drivers Linda reiterated that most DHS programs are subject to the semiannual caseload estimating process. The governor's recommendation includes caseload-driven adjustments that reflect the November estimates and certain transfers of contracted services (notably UHIP-related contracts) from DHS to the executive office for FY2026 accounting. The budget also assumes ongoing federal policy through January 2025; subcommittee members repeatedly asked staff to model potential federal funding changes but staff said specific federal proposals were still uncertain.

Other program notes - Supplemental Security Income (state supplement): The governor recommends $16.6 million for both 2025 and 2026 in line with caseload estimates. - Bridge program for individuals awaiting SSI decisions: $1.9 million in 2025 and $2.2 million in 2026 are recommended to reimburse certain pre-award expenditures when federal SSI benefits start.

What lawmakers asked: Members probed whether any FY2026 eliminations or reductions could affect access to child care, food assistance or eligibility processing. Representative Diaz repeatedly urged DHS to protect the childcare-for-educators pilot because of workforce impacts at local child-care providers. Several members sought clearer breakdowns of how federal SNAP and Medicaid changes would affect state spending if Congress adopts cuts; DHS staff said they were tracking federal developments but could not yet quantify impacts.

Ending note The subcommittee did not take votes on the DHS budget during this hearing; staff provided detailed line items and said some technical adjustments and supplemental requests could be filed as the committee prepares formal budget motions in subsequent sessions.

Sources: presentation by Linda (state fiscal staff), testimony and Q&A with Director Erica Brito, and committee discussion.