Developmental Services Northwest Kansas briefs commissioners on Medicaid-funded services and workforce pressures

Jerry Michaud, president and chief executive officer of Developmental Services Northwest Kansas, told the board the nonprofit provides long‑term services funded primarily through a Medicaid home‑and‑community‑based services (HCBS) waiver and serves residents across 18 counties.

Michaud said the organization serves individuals with a range of needs and that Medicaid matching funds are the primary revenue source. He provided the commission with an impact estimate for Sherman County and the broader service region: the county economic impact figure reported in the presentation was about $234,000 and the 18‑county regional economic impact figure cited was more than $1.5 billion.

Michaud discussed workforce pressures, saying the organization had roughly 29–30 open positions across the region and that staff compensation increases from recent legislative rate adjustments had improved wages but remained insufficient to fully address turnover. He described the statewide HCBS waiting list and said the organization was tracking legislative actions that had recently reduced the statewide waitlist by several hundred people.

Michaud also noted concerns about federal attention to potential conflicts of interest in service administration and said the state has mitigation strategies but that the sector is monitoring proposals that could affect how regional organizations operate. He asked the county to continue its existing financial support, which county commissioners acknowledged and the county had provided for the prior year.

The board thanked Michaud for the update and voiced ongoing support for the organization's regional role.