Presenter outlines early wins and finance hurdles after creation of Office of Shared Administration

Dr. Sherry Young, presenting to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resource Accountability, briefed members on the Office of Shared Administration (OSA) and its work since the changes enacted by House Bill 2006.

Young said the OSA centralizes six support offices — Communications, Constituent Services, Finance, Office of Human Resource Management (OHRM), Management Information Services (MIS) and Operations — to serve three newly separated departments. "We are about 70 days in," she said, and added that the office had seen "over 80%" of the planned work completed in the initial period.

The presentation emphasized early efficiencies and operating structure. Young named directors for key functions and described the communications office as intentionally staffed with two directors so messages could be vetted with subject‑matter experts in each bureau. Constituent services, she said, was among the least impacted shared offices and continues to help navigate requests across departments.

The briefing identified finance as the area with the greatest operational strain. Young said the budget work required "unbraiding" funding that had previously been managed inside a single Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) structure into three separate departmental budgets. That process produced complex demand signals, time‑sensitive requests (supplementals and improvements) and administrative backlogs.

Young gave concrete compliance examples tied to grants: federal funding streams such as Birth‑to‑3 required updating Unique Entity Identifiers (UEIs) and governor‑signed documents to ensure the correct federal registrations and allow continued receipt of Medicaid‑tied funds. She also said payment delays occurred because of differing platforms used by contracting agencies including the Office of Technology, the Attorney General's Office and the Department of Personnel.

To reduce downstream risk, Young said OSA introduced a grant risk assessment on July 1 that screens potential grantees for execution capability before awards are made. "It's an extra step, and it is a little bit burdensome on the programs at times, but it does give us a little bit more visibility," she said.

Human resources changes were described as substantial but already producing tools to retain staff: automated employee surveys, FMLA tracking and a mentorship program were cited as measures to stabilize workforce capacity. On staffing counts, Young reported 424.66 FTEs in December 2023 and a net loss of a little more than five positions since that snapshot; she clarified the fractional portion reflects part‑time positions and that some reductions were intentional reallocations.

Operations updates included procurement and tax‑ID adjustments, reallocation of staff after retirements, and a relocation of a small environmental health satellite office in Saint Albans that Young said resulted in an estimated $40,000 cost savings.

Committee members asked whether splitting services created duplications. Young replied that most shared offices are centralized and that some program‑level staff remain embedded in departments for practical, day‑to‑day work. She said much of the finance burden is a one‑time creation cost and forecasted that the workload would become more manageable once accounts and line items are finalized. Young also encouraged creative recruitment — internships and partnerships with universities and high schools — to address a nationwide shortage of accountants.

Young closed by asking the commission for feedback for OSA's first quarterly report and said she would provide further updates on finance improvements in future briefings. The committee then moved to adjourn and voted by voice to end the meeting.