Department of Social and Health Services - Economic Services Administration
| Average Annual FTEs | Near General Fund State | Other Funds | Total Funds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Dollars in Thousands) | ||||
| Current Budget | 3,938.4 | 1,472,591 | 1,921,885 | 3,394,476 |
| 2025-27 Maintenance Level | 3,934.4 | 1,495,341 | 1,869,563 | 3,364,904 |
| Difference from 2025-27 Original | (4.0) | 22,750 | (52,322) | (29,572) |
| % Change from 2025-27 Original | (0.1%) | 1.5% | (2.7%) | (0.9%) |
2026 Policy Other Changes |
||||
| ACES Contractor Services | 0.0 | 11,292 | 8,748 | 20,040 |
| Administrative Reduction | 0.0 | (961) | 0 | (961) |
| Asset Verification System M&O | 0.0 | 716 | 265 | 981 |
| Federal Shutdown- Food Security | 0.0 | 2,150 | 0 | 2,150 |
| IE&E - CMS Rules | 0.0 | 47 | (47) | 0 |
| 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 |
| Summer EBT | 0.0 | 2,138 | 2,137 | 4,275 |
| Supports for Unaccompanied Children | 0.50 | 500 | 0 | 500 |
| 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 | 103.3 | 47,508 | 42,479 | 89,987 |
| Total Policy Changes | 103.3 | 47,508 | 42,479 | 89,987 |
| 2026 Policy Level | 4,037.7 | 1,542,849 | 1,912,042 | 3,454,891 |
| Difference from 2025-27 Original | 99.3 | 70,258 | (9,843) | 60,415 |
| % Change from 2025-27 Original | 2.5% | 4.8% | (0.5%) | 1.8% |
Policy Changes
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)
Administrative Reduction
Funding is reduced to reflect a reduction in administrative services. (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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)