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DCS says Intercept pilot cut juvenile admissions in targeted counties and seeks recurring private case management funds
Summary
The Department of Children's Services reported that a new Intercept/clearinghouse pilot added 301 slots in 15 high‑volume counties and that early results show a 12% reduction in targeted county entries; DCS asked the committee to make recurring $34.5M private case management funding permanent to reduce state caseloads.
Commissioner Marjie Quinn told the committee an Intercept (youth‑in‑home) pilot funded this year added 301 slots targeted at counties that historically contributed 50% of foster‑care entries; she said the pilot has already produced a 12% reduction in cases in the first seven months.
Quinn and DCS requested that the committee continue and expand private provider case management as a recurring item: the budget documents seek $34.5M recurring for private provider case management (a combination of continuation and expansion) so that contracted case managers can handle about 1,600 cases now carried by 95 private staff and to reduce the numbers carried by state child‑protection case managers.
Quinn highlighted that Tennessee's IV‑E federal reimbursement rules have not been updated since 1996, limiting federal drawdown for higher‑level care; DCS is working with TennCare on levels of care and urged federal adjustments. She also described the department's plan for a $433M real‑estate program to build regional juvenile campus capacity.
Provenance: topicintro SEG 6057, topfinish SEG 7445.
