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State reports improved data on developmental‑services wait list; workforce grants cited
Summary
DHHS reported new IT tools and quarterly data: Q4 had 100 requests for the developmental disabilities waiver, 25 began services; the department cited workforce shortages and $15M+ in workforce grants plus $7M for service coordinators.
Jessica Gorton, bureau chief for the Bureau of Developmental Services, presented the committee with quarterly wait‑list data and system improvements on Nov. 22.
Gorton said DHHS transitioned to a state‑operated intake system (New Hampshire EZ) and rolled out IT enhancements on July 1 that include a provider view and automated start‑date logging to provide timelier, point‑in‑time data. In Q4 the developmental disabilities waiver recorded 100 requests for service; 9 withdrew and 86 remained projected to start services within the quarter. Of those 86, 25 actually began services and 61 had delay reasons listed in the report — the top causes were provider availability, individual/family timing requests and pending Medicaid verification.
Gorton said workforce remains the primary barrier to faster starts. The department has issued workforce grants totaling over $15,000,000 and an additional $7,000,000 targeted to service coordinators/case managers for recruitment and retention. She reported only three service authorizations were more than 14 days awaiting an initial bureau review, attributing improvements to IT and process changes.
Committee members praised the data transparency and urged including a contact in the report for follow‑up questions. Gorton agreed to provide business cards and continue refining the dataset.
