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KDADS update: waiver timeline targeted for Oct. 1, new state hospital and ongoing staffing challenges
Summary
Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services briefed the House Committee on Health and Human Services on aging, behavioral health, IDD waiver modernization and state hospital construction; KDADS targets Oct. 1 for a community support waiver go‑live, described a 104‑bed regional mental health hospital due to admit in January 2027, and acknowledged persistent surveyor staffing and contract‑staffing gaps.
Secretary Howard of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) presented a broad agency update to the House Committee on Health and Human Services, covering five program areas, recent accomplishments, and legislative priorities.
Howard highlighted KDADS achievements in aging services (a completed four‑year state plan and redistribution of senior nutrition funding) and behavioral health (a rise in Mental Health America rankings and $26 million in crisis funding to expand the crisis continuum). He noted a new PACE center in Olathe and ongoing work to expand opioid‑use disorder treatment and prevention.
On long‑term services and supports and IDD modernization, Howard described steps required for federal CMS approval of a community support…
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