Department of Social and Health Services
| Average Annual FTEs | Near General Fund State | Other Funds | Total Funds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Dollars in Thousands) | ||||
| Current Budget | 19,537.0 | 12,125,652 | 12,895,847 | 25,021,499 |
| 2025-27 Maintenance Level | 19,702.1 | 12,430,297 | 13,131,282 | 25,561,579 |
| Difference from 2025-27 Original | 165.1 | 304,645 | 235,435 | 540,080 |
| % Change from 2025-27 Original | 0.85% | 2.5% | 1.8% | 2.2% |
2026 Policy Other Changes |
||||
| AAA Case Management | 0.0 | (2,517) | 0 | (2,517) |
| ACES Contractor Services | 0.0 | 11,292 | 8,748 | 20,040 |
| ADA Compliance | 0.0 | 1,285 | 0 | 1,285 |
| ADA Compliance | 0.0 | 65 | 0 | 65 |
| Administrative Reduction | 0.0 | (618) | 0 | (618) |
| Administrative Reduction | 0.0 | (338) | 0 | (338) |
| Administrative Reduction | 0.0 | (364) | 0 | (364) |
| Administrative Reduction | 0.0 | (961) | 0 | (961) |
| Administrative Reduction | 0.0 | (52) | 0 | (52) |
| Administrative Reduction | 0.0 | (73) | 0 | (73) |
| Administrative Reduction | 0.0 | (47) | 0 | (47) |
| Asset Verification System M&O | 0.0 | 716 | 265 | 981 |
| Assisted Living Rebase Delay | 0.0 | (21,221) | (24,242) | (45,463) |
| DSH Reduction Delay | 0.0 | (70,100) | 70,100 | 0 |
| Dan Thompson Account Fund | 0.0 | 0 | 2,000 | 2,000 |
| ESH Radio System Upgrades | 0.0 | 500 | 76 | 576 |
| Electronic Health Record | 0.0 | 11,717 | 0 | 11,717 |
| Enhanced Dementia Care Pilot | 0.0 | (305) | (358) | (663) |
| Facility One-Time Costs | 0.0 | 700 | 528 | 1,228 |
| Federal Shutdown- Food Security | 0.0 | 2,150 | 0 | 2,150 |
| HR1 Eligiblity Reductions | 0.0 | 7,642 | 0 | 7,642 |
| IE&E - CMS Rules | 0.0 | 47 | (47) | 0 |
| IP Training Penalty | 0.0 | 3,800 | 0 | 3,800 |
| Lake Burien Funding Adjustment | 0.0 | 5,552 | (5,410) | 142 |
| Maple Lane Delay | 0.0 | (16,476) | 0 | (16,476) |
| New Hospital Accreditation | 0.0 | 348 | 0 | 348 |
| No-Paid Services Staff | 12.4 | 5,886 | 4,531 | 10,417 |
| Nursing Home Rebase Delay | 0.0 | (48,645) | (53,576) | (102,221) |
| ORIA Support Services | 2.5 | 25,000 | 0 | 25,000 |
| Report Self-Employed Workers to DCS | 0.80 | 85 | 166 | 251 |
| SNAP & FAP Work Requirement Changes | 93.2 | 13,910 | 12,859 | 26,769 |
| SNAP Benefit Match | 0.80 | 693 | 560 | 1,253 |
| SNAP Natl. Accuracy Clearing House | 1.7 | 818 | 818 | 1,636 |
| SNAP Quality Control Staffing | 3.8 | 688 | 370 | 1,058 |
| SOLA Admin Reduction | 0.0 | (500) | 0 | (500) |
| SOLA Forecast | 81.4 | 5,016 | 23,061 | 28,077 |
| School To Work Reduction | 0.0 | (1,298) | 0 | (1,298) |
| Summer EBT | 0.0 | 2,138 | 2,137 | 4,275 |
| Supports for Unaccompanied Children | 0.50 | 500 | 0 | 500 |
| Transition to Community | 0.0 | (1,906) | (1,651) | (3,557) |
| Transitional Care Center Seattle | 0.0 | (2,852) | (2,852) | (5,704) |
| WA Cares IT | 0.0 | 0 | (6,801) | (6,801) |
| WA Cares M&O | 0.0 | 0 | 22,793 | 22,793 |
| Wage Verification | 0.0 | 2,071 | 1,542 | 3,613 |
| Work Requirement IT Project | 0.0 | 3,278 | 5,752 | 9,030 |
| WorkFirst Contracted Services | 0.0 | (917) | (4,691) | (5,608) |
| WorkFirst Fund Shift | 0.0 | (14,000) | 14,000 | 0 |
| 2026 Policy Other Changes Total | 197.1 | (77,293) | 70,678 | (6,615) |
2026 Policy Transfers Changes |
||||
| Reimagine DSHS | 1,783.1 | 215,073 | 189,960 | 405,033 |
| Reimagine DSHS | (2,356.8) | (1,559,045) | (1,610,423) | (3,169,468) |
| Reimagine DSHS | 580.2 | 1,343,972 | 1,420,463 | 2,764,435 |
| 2026 Policy Transfers Changes Total | 6.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2026 Policy Central Services Changes |
||||
| Administrative Hearings | 0.0 | 91 | 134 | 225 |
| Archives/Records Management | 0.0 | 9 | 2 | 11 |
| Audit Services | 0.0 | 16 | 10 | 26 |
| DES Central Services | 0.0 | 217 | 89 | 306 |
| GOV Central Services | 0.0 | 605 | 102 | 707 |
| Legal Services | 0.0 | 267 | 99 | 366 |
| OFM Central Services | 0.0 | 30,817 | 658 | 31,475 |
| Self-Insurance Liability Premium | 0.0 | 44,083 | 14,626 | 58,709 |
| WTS Central Services | 0.0 | 2,076 | 222 | 2,298 |
| 2026 Policy Central Services Changes Total | 0.0 | 78,181 | 15,942 | 94,123 |
| Total Policy Changes | 203.6 | 888 | 86,620 | 87,508 |
| 2026 Policy Level | 19,905.7 | 12,431,185 | 13,217,902 | 25,649,087 |
| Difference from 2025-27 Original | 368.7 | 305,533 | 322,055 | 627,588 |
| % Change from 2025-27 Original | 1.9% | 2.5% | 2.5% | 2.5% |
Policy Changes
AAA Case Management
Savings are achieved by reducing funding for AAA case management. This brings the total reduction to 5%. (General Fund - State)
ACES Contractor Services
Funding is provided to increase Automated Client Eligibility System contractor support for a 12-month period to increase the agency's capacity to implement critical system enhancements, including but not limited to, changes made to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program through the passage of H.R.1 (P.L. 119-25). (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)
ADA Compliance
Funding is provided for resources to support deaf and hard of hearing patients and residents at state facilities to implement a settlement agreement with the United States Department of Justice and to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. (General Fund - State)
ADA Compliance
Funding is provided for resources to support deaf and hard of hearing patients and residents at state facilities to implement a settlement agreement with the United State Department of Justice and to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. (General Fund - State)
Administrative Hearings
Adjustments are made for each agency's anticipated cost of administrative hearings from the Office of Administrative Hearings. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)
Administrative Reduction
Funding is reduced to reflect a reduction in administrative services. (General Fund - State)
Administrative Reduction
Funding is reduced to reflect a reduction in administrative services. (General Fund - State)
Administrative Reduction
Funding is reduced to reflect a reduction in administrative services. (General Fund - State)
Administrative Reduction
Funding is reduced to reflect a reduction in administrative services. (General Fund - State)
Administrative Reduction
Funding is reduced to reflect a reduction in administrative services. (General Fund - State)
Administrative Reduction
Funding is reduced to reflect a reduction in administrative services. (General Fund - State)
Administrative Reduction
Funding is reduced to reflect a reduction in administrative services. (General Fund - State)
Archives/Records Management
Adjustments are made for each agency's anticipated share of charges for archives and records management services provided by the Office of the Secretary of State. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)
Asset Verification System M&O
Funding is provided for the ongoing maintenance and operation costs of the fully automated Asset Verification System, specifically for the data exchange. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)
Assisted Living Rebase Delay
Funding for the increased cost and utilization of assisted living and adult residential care services is delayed until fiscal year 2028. (General Fund - Cash, General Fund - Local CRC Oregon, General Fund - Medicaid Federal, other funds)
Audit Services
Adjustments are made for each agency's anticipated cost of audits performed by the Washington State Auditor. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)
DES Central Services
Adjustments are made to reflect each agency's anticipated share of charges from the Department of Enterprise Services for Capitol Campus costs; real estate, risk management, and small agency services; the Perry Street and Capitol Campus child care centers; enterprise applications, and other items. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)
DSH Reduction Delay
A reduction to the federal disproportionate share hospital program is assumed to be delayed until fiscal year 2028. (General Fund - Cash, General Fund - Local CRC Oregon, General Fund - Medicaid Federal, other funds)
Dan Thompson Account Fund
Increased expenditure authority is provided from the Dan Thompson Developmental Disabilities Community Services Account for approved community project grants to expand the availability of inclusive community activities and increase the quality of life for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. (Developmental Dis Comm Service Acct - State)
ESH Radio System Upgrades
Funding is provided to updgrade the radio system on the Eastern State Hospital campus. (General Fund - Cash, General Fund - Medicaid Federal, General Fund - State, other funds)
Electronic Health Record
Funding is provided for an Electronic Health Record solution to support health care coordination and case management needs that will improve patient safety and clinician experience. Funding also includes adjustment for updated 2026 tech budget. (General Fund - State)
Enhanced Dementia Care Pilot
Savings are achieved by ending the enhanced dementia care pilot. (General Fund - Cash, General Fund - Local CRC Oregon, General Fund - Medicaid Federal, other funds)
Facility One-Time Costs
One-time funding is provided to decommission and relocate the Lacey Aging and Long-Term Support Administration office into a state-owned facility in Olympia. (General Fund - Cash, General Fund - Medicaid Federal, General Fund - State, other funds)
Federal Shutdown- Food Security
Due to delays in the distribution of November 2025 food benefits to SNAP and Food Assistance Program (FAP) recipients caused by the federal government shutdown, the Economic Services Administration (ESA) transferred funds from the FAP program to Washington's Department of Agricultural to assist with the increased demand at local hunger relief organizations. Funding is provided to reimburse ESA for the transferred funds. (General Fund - State)
GOV Central Services
Adjustments are made to reflect each agency's anticipated share of charges from the Office of the Governor for the Office of Equity. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)
HR1 Eligiblity Reductions
Funding is provided to address the impacts of federal changes to Medicaid eligibility tied to immigration status. Beginning in October 2026, many lawfully residing noncitizens will lose access to Medicaid. This funding adds 500 noncitizen services slots for clients currently receiving long-term care and developmental disability services. (General Fund - State)
IE&E - CMS Rules
Funding for the IT project to align eligibility rules with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' regulations is reduced in fiscal year 2026 and increased in fiscal year 2027 to align with expected expenditures. (General Fund - Cash, General Fund - Local CRC Oregon, General Fund - State, other funds)
IP Training Penalty
Funding is provided to address penalties assessed by the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services for inadequate staff training of individual providers of in-home care services. (General Fund - State)
Lake Burien Funding Adjustment
Funding is provided to maintain operation of the Lake Burien Transitional Care Facility while the facility completes the final steps to obtain the Medicaid certification required to claim federal matching funds. (General Fund - Cash, General Fund - Local CRC Oregon, General Fund - State, other funds)
Legal Services
Adjustments are made for each agency's anticipated cost of legal services provided by the Office of the Attorney General. Funding provided in the central service model is not all inclusive, as legal services expenditures are based on consumption. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)
Maple Lane Delay
Funding is adjusted due to delays in the remodel to the Baker and Chelan units at Maple Lane. (General Fund - State)
New Hospital Accreditation
Funding is provided for consulting services to ensure the new forensic hospital under construction on the Western State Hospital Campus can be certified and accredited by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services upon completion. (General Fund - State)
No-Paid Services Staff
Funding is provided to maintain current staffing levels to support clients actively seeking paid services. (General Fund - Cash, General Fund - Medicaid Federal, General Fund - State, other funds)
Nursing Home Rebase Delay
Funding for the increased cost and utilization of nursing home facilities is delayed until fiscal year 2028. (General Fund - Cash, General Fund - Local CRC Oregon, General Fund - Medicaid Federal, other funds)
OFM Central Services
Adjustments are made to reflect each agency's anticipated share of charges from the Office of Financial Management for existing statewide applications, the One Washington program, and other central services. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)
ORIA Support Services
One-time funding is provided in fiscal year 2027 to the Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance to continue offering expanded support services for individuals newly arriving to the United States who do not qualify for federal refugee resettlement program services. Supports include, but are not limited to, housing, immigration-related legal services, case management, and navigation assistance. (General Fund - State)
Reimagine DSHS
Funds are transferred between programs to align appropriations with the new Department of Social and Health Services organizational structure. (General Fund - Cash, General Fund - Federal, General Fund - Local, other funds)
Reimagine DSHS
Funds are transferred between programs to align appropriations with the new Department of Social and Health Services organizational structure. (General Fund - Cash, General Fund - Federal, General Fund - Local, other funds)
Reimagine DSHS
Funds are transferred between programs to align appropriations with the new Department of Social and Health Services organizational structure. (General Fund - Cash, General Fund - Federal, General Fund - Local, other funds)
Report Self-Employed Workers to DCS
Funding is provided for system enhancements and staff necessary to establish a reporting requirement to the Division of Child Support for anyone who hires contractors or subcontractors that they pay $600 or more within a given year. Current law requires employers to report new hires to the Division of Child Support, but not when they hire a contractor or subcontractor. With this information, the Division of Child Support will have greater opportunities to collect child support for children. As currently drafted, this policy, Reporting Self-Employed Workers to the Division of Child Support (HB 1297), would become effective January 1, 2027. (General Fund - Family Support/Child Welfare, General Fund - State)
SNAP & FAP Work Requirement Changes
H.R.1 (P.L. 119-25) makes changes to the work requirements associated with SNAP. The changes expand who must participate in work requirements and limit who qualifies for an exemption. To accommodate the increased number of adults subject to work requirements, funding is provided for the temporary staffing needed to monitor and track work participation before IT system enhancements can be implemented, as well as the ongoing staff needed for increased workload after the IT enhancements. Funding is also provided to expand the Basic Food Employment and Training program to serve more participants statewide. Because the state's FAP mirrors the federal SNAP program, the work requirement changes also apply to FAP recipients. (Employment Services Administrative - State, General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)
SNAP Benefit Match
H.R.1 (P.L. 119-25) requires states to cover a percentage of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits dependent upon a state's SNAP payment error rate. SNAP benefits have previously been 100% federally funded. Funding is provided that assumes a 5% GFS match on the total SNAP benefit payment beginning Oct. 1, 2027. Funding is also provided for necessary IT system enhancements. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)
SNAP Natl. Accuracy Clearing House
Funding is provided to the Economic Services Administration to implement a federally mandated interstate data matching system for SNAP by October 2026. The funding covers IT enhancements and staffing. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)
SNAP Quality Control Staffing
Funding is provided for six additional quality control staff to address more complex Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) case reviews due to changes made in H.R.1 (P.L. 119-25) and to build a performance system team that leverages expertise across integrity and eligibility programs to focus on reducing Washington's SNAP payment error rate. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)
SOLA Admin Reduction
Savings are achieved by reducing funding for the State-Operated Living Alternative administrative supports. (General Fund - State)
SOLA Forecast
Funding is provided to maintain the current State-Operated Living Alternative (SOLA) bed capacity of 227 beds. (General Fund - Cash, General Fund - Medicaid Federal, General Fund - State, other funds)
School To Work Reduction
Funding is reduced for the School to Work program associated with Chapter 167, Laws of 2022 (SSB 5790) to align with current spending projections. (General Fund - State)
Self-Insurance Liability Premium
Adjustments are made to reflect each agency's share of actuarially projected costs of the self-insurance liability premium. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)
Summer EBT
Funding is provided to cover the third-party vendor costs to administer the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer program through March 2028. Within existing resources, the Economic Services Administration will complete a competitive request for proposal process for future third-party vendor options. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)
Supports for Unaccompanied Children
One-time funding is provided for supports for unaccompanied immigrant children and their sponsors in fiscal year 2027. (General Fund - State)
Transition to Community
Savings are achieved by (1) reducing the expansion of State-Operated Living Alternative beds from nine to three and (2) eliminating additional community transition case management. These increases were funded in the 202527 biennial budget tied to a version of SB 5393 that proposed closing the Rainier State School by the end of the biennium. Chapter 410, Laws of 2025 does not include that closure timeline and these resources are no longer necessary. (General Fund - Cash, General Fund - Local CRC Oregon, General Fund - Medicaid Federal, other funds)
Transitional Care Center Seattle
Savings are achieved by reducing beds at the Transitional Care Center of Seattle from 80 to 60 to align with the provider's staffing model. (General Fund - Cash, General Fund - Local CRC Oregon, General Fund - Medicaid Federal, other funds)
WA Cares IT
Funding is adjusted for the WA Cares technology project, expected to be complete by the end of fiscal year 2026. (Long-Term Servs & Sup Trust Account - State)
WA Cares M&O
Funding is provided for ongoing maintenance and operating costs of the WA Cares technology platform expected to go live in fiscal year 2027. (Long-Term Servs & Sup Trust Account - State)
WTS Central Services
Adjustments are made to reflect each agency's anticipated share of charges from Washington Technology Solutions for the Office of Cybersecurity, the state network, enterprise services, small agency IT services, enterprise architecture and data management, Microsoft 365 licenses, and other items. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)
Wage Verification
Funding is provided in fiscal year 2026 for increased service fees and usage associated with Work Number (formerly TALX), which is an online Equifax database used to verify employment and salary information for cash and food benefit eligibility. Federal expenditure authority is also provided to match a grant that covers the costs associated with piloting TRUV, an alternative work verification platform. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - Medicaid Federal, General Fund - State, other funds)
Work Requirement IT Project
Funding is provided for IT enhancements necessary to create a work requirement verification hub. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)
WorkFirst Contracted Services
Funding for WorkFirst contracted services is reduced by 10%. This reduction applies to WorkFirst services offered by the Department of Commerce, Employment Security Department, State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, and Department of Children, Youth, and Families. (General Fund - Federal Dedicated, General Fund - State, General Fund - Temporary Assist for Needy Families)
WorkFirst Fund Shift
Savings are achieved in General Fund-State by using funds from the Administrative Contingency Account-State for WorkFirst services in the 2025-27 biennium. (Administrative Contingency Account - State, General Fund - State)