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OKLAHOMA CAPITOL --- The Oklahoma Commission for Human Services approved a $500.1 million Oklahoma Department of Human Services fiscal year 2006 budget at its June 14 meeting.
The Department originally requested $515 million for fiscal year 2006. The Oklahoma State Legislature appropriated $481.9 million to OKDHS -- an increase of $73.6 million from fiscal year 2005. The state dollars allocated by the Legislature combine with federal appropriations and other funding to create the $1.6 billion budget for OKDHS for fiscal year 2006.
“Even though it appears we received a sizable increase, a big chunk of the budget is replacing federal dollars for state dollars,” said Steve Beebe, human services commissioner and chair of the OKDHS budget committee.
House Bill 1094 allocated the Department $408.3 million. The bill outlined several line-item adjustments separate from the base appropriation. It included $15 million for child care subsidy funding, $1.65 million for child support enforcement, $3.9 for program growth for the Adoption program and the ADvantage Waiver program, as well as $632,000 for adult day services.
The line-item adjustments totaled $73.6, bringing the total state dollar appropriation to $481.9 million. Funds carried over from fiscal year 2005 and one-time funds will make up the remaining $19 million to meet projected budget obligations for fiscal year 2006, said Heidi Mitchell, director, Office of Finance Budget Unit.
Mitchell said the $15 million child care subsidy received will help “offset challenges the program might encounter” without having to increase parent co-payments or resort to waiting lists. She said the state funds child support enforcement received can “draw down” an additional $2.8 million from the federal government that will be used to collect child support.
The Legislature approved $6.3 million to improve the rates OKDHS pays to Developmental Disabilities Services Division providers, such as habilitation training specialists, job coaches and personal care assistants. According to Mitchell, job coaches, for instance, had not received a rate increase since 1995.
DDSD also received $1.6 million to help 4,200 clients who are waiting for services. OKDHS Director Howard H. Hendrick said the funds will be used to move at least 25 percent of those clients off the waiting lists.
While there were many bright spots in the OKDHS appropriation, the Department’s fiscal year 2006 work plan needed $515 million to meet obligations and expand programs.
“Unfortunately, we can’t fund any growth,” said Mitchell. “We’re going to have to absorb costs in some areas because other areas weren’t fully funded.”
The Legislature passed several mandates for the Department, but only funded half of them. It funded the rest of the pay increase for employees effective July 1. It did not fund the 1.5 percent increase in retirement contributions nor the 15 percent in projected benefit allowance increases coming in January.
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