Developmental Services NWK reports payment delays, staffing gaps and a new residential site; KidLink early‑intervention team reaches full staffing

Jerry Michaux, president of Developmental Services Northwest Kansas (DSNWK), briefed the commissioners on Jan. 21 about statewide system changes, funding pressures and local service activity.

Michaux said DSNWK operates under a state contract and described recent administrative and funding shifts that have affected service delivery. He told commissioners the agency received a payment in mid‑January covering services dating to July and that reserves were used to cover the gap in the interim. Michaux said the organization faces inflationary pressure and workforce shortages: he reported about 26 open positions systemwide, roughly 18 in the Ellis County area.

Michaux described progress on the Medicaid home‑and‑community‑based services waiting list: the state removed several hundred people from the list over the prior year (he said he had heard figures between 500 and 800 statewide), and about eight people from Ellis County were among those offered services. He said the new request date on the waiting list now corresponds to roughly June 16 (about a nine‑year wait under current processing rates).

Michaux announced a new small residential site in Hays intended to serve three people. He credited a local foundation and a private donor for startup support and said volunteers helped with physical site preparation. He also noted a recently averted Department of Labor change that, if implemented, would have increased employer wage thresholds and dramatically raised personnel costs.

Michaux raised concerns about proposed structural changes under review at the state level that could separate service coordination (targeted case management) from service providers, a change he described as driven by conflict‑of‑interest concerns and CMS guidance. Michaux said targeted case management is currently available to people on the waiting list and serves as a navigator to other services; he warned that separating those functions could be problematic for local delivery.

Sarah Biggs, director of programs and services for DSNWK, updated the commission on KidLink early‑intervention work in Ellis County. Biggs said KidLink received 53 referrals between July and December and served 31 active children in the first half of that period and 34 in the latter half (Ellis County only). She said KidLink has partnered with USD 489 (Hays) to expand early screening to children through age 5 and that in January KidLink was fully staffed for the first time in about five years. Biggs provided staffing numbers: two full‑time early‑intervention special educators, three coordinators (service navigators), and two and a half speech‑language pathologists, supplemented by contracted services with regional hospitals.

Michaux asked commissioners for advocacy at the state level to preserve a common‑sense approach and to maintain the community role in service coordination. He said DSNWK continues to pursue grants, philanthropic support and legislative engagement to stabilize services.