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KDADS warns of potential HCBS waitlists and hospital staffing gaps; House and governor diverge on funding
Summary
Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services told Ways and Means the House added some targeted items but excluded other governor priorities — including provider compliance grants and full funding for contract staffing at Larned — and asked the committee to restore reappropriations and consider funding to avert waiver waitlists.
Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) officials told the Senate Ways and Means Committee that their fiscal requests include funding to avoid wait lists for home‑and‑community‑based services (HCBS) waivers and to address staff shortages at the state hospitals, and they urged the committee to restore previously approved reappropriations.
Dayton Lemunyan of the Kansas Legislative Research Department (KLRD) reviewed KDADS’ budget pages and told the committee the agency had $282.3 million in total reappropriations for FY25; the legislative budget committee lapsed roughly $150.5 million and the House restored a subset, including $45.1 million tied to HCBS FMAP savings. Lemunyan said the HCBS FMAP funds derive from public health emergency savings and are required to be spent on HCBS projects or returned to the federal government.
KDADS Secretary Laura Howard pressed the committee to consider five priorities not fully reflected in the House recommendation, including funding to prevent waiting lists for…
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