Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
DSS warns of $500,000 revenue loss after SNAP admin reimbursement cut
Summary
Business manager Chris Conley told the board that federal changes will lower food-nutrition administrative reimbursement from 50% to 25% effective Oct. 1, a change he estimated will cost the department about $500,000 over the remaining nine months of the fiscal year.
Caldwell County Department of Social Services staff told the advisory board July 28 that a change in federal administrative reimbursement for food and nutrition programs will substantially reduce state/federal revenue to the department.
Business manager Chris Conley said administrative reimbursement for food and nutrition (SNAP) will drop from 50% to 25% on Oct. 1 under recent federal action, creating an estimated net revenue shortfall of about $500,000 for the remaining nine months of the fiscal year. "For the remaining 9 months of the fiscal year, that's a net loss of a $500,000 of revenue for the department," Conley said.
Conley described the broader funding mix for DSS: Medicaid administration reimbursements cover roughly 75% of staff costs, child-support admin is reimbursed at about 66%, and social-work services average about 45% reimbursement. He said the department has already experienced revenue declines tied to one-time grant funding that did not recur and to shifts in federal eligibility rules.
For June, Conley reported expenses of $1,474,000 and revenues of just over $1,010,000, leaving roughly $463,000 of county funds used during the month; he said year-to-date county-dollar use increased by about $886,000 compared with the prior year, driven by lower revenues and higher staff costs.
Staff said they are preparing for the October reimbursement change and reviewing staffing and program decisions to mitigate impacts; no specific layoffs or program cuts were announced.
