Department of Health
| Average Annual FTEs | Near General Fund State | Other Funds | Total Funds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Dollars in Thousands) | ||||
| Current Budget | 1,955.1 | 196,137 | 2,728,106 | 2,924,243 |
| 2021-23 Maintenance Level | 1,955.1 | 198,692 | 2,739,645 | 2,938,337 |
| Difference from 2021-23 Original | 0.0 | 2,555 | 11,539 | 14,094 |
| % Change from 2021-23 Original | 0.0% | 1.3% | 0.42% | 0.48% |
2022 Policy Other Changes |
||||
| Local Funding Adjustment | 0.0 | 0 | 10,213 | 10,213 |
| Expand Smoking Cessation | 0.0 | 121 | 0 | 121 |
| Expand Doula Services | 0.0 | 102 | 0 | 102 |
| UDS System | 2.1 | 520 | 0 | 520 |
| Mental Health Access Project | 0.0 | 1,680 | 0 | 1,680 |
| COVID-19 Contain the Spread | 0.0 | 173,246 | 25,160 | 198,406 |
| Continue COVID-19 Vaccinations | 233.2 | 99,852 | 0 | 99,852 |
| Improving Credentialing Performance | 13.1 | 2,488 | 0 | 2,488 |
| Maintain Core Public Health Systems | 63.3 | 15,895 | 3,193 | 19,088 |
| WA Medical Coordination Center | 0.0 | 1,283 | 0 | 1,283 |
| Sustain Child Profile Health System | 2.5 | 2,000 | 0 | 2,000 |
| Prevent Child Lead Exposure | 0.80 | 409 | 0 | 409 |
| Address Drinking Water Backlog | 6.8 | 0 | 3,500 | 3,500 |
| Cannabis Laboratory Testing | 2.9 | 0 | 818 | 818 |
| Upgrade Drinking Water System | 4.0 | 0 | 1,034 | 1,034 |
| Upgrade Medical Cannabis Registry | 3.4 | 0 | 2,101 | 2,101 |
| WIC Food Insecurity/Infant Formula | 3.4 | 6,178 | 0 | 6,178 |
| Health Boards & Commissions | 0.40 | 0 | 268 | 268 |
| Reclaimed Water | 1.1 | 320 | 0 | 320 |
| Delays in Nursing Licenses | 10.0 | 0 | 2,028 | 2,028 |
| Long-Term Care Nursing Staff Crisis | 3.5 | 0 | 761 | 761 |
| Nurse Preceptor Grants | 0.0 | 6,000 | 0 | 6,000 |
| School-based Health Center Grants | 0.0 | 814 | 0 | 814 |
| Youth Behavioral Health Program | 0.0 | 90 | 0 | 90 |
| Youth Suicide Prevention | 0.0 | 1,354 | 0 | 1,354 |
| Correct Technical Issues | 10.4 | 2,400 | 1,873 | 4,273 |
| 2022 Policy Other Changes Total | 360.9 | 314,752 | 50,949 | 365,701 |
2022 Policy Comp Changes |
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| State Employee Benefits | 0.0 | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| WFSE General Government | 0.0 | 1,195 | 5,347 | 6,542 |
| Rep Employee Health Benefits | 0.0 | 7 | 28 | 35 |
| Non-Rep General Wage Increase | 0.0 | 353 | 1,176 | 1,529 |
| SEIU 1199 General Government | 0.0 | 37 | 324 | 361 |
| PERS & TRS Plan 1 Benefit Increase | 0.0 | 36 | 146 | 182 |
| 2022 Policy Comp Changes Total | 0.0 | 1,630 | 7,027 | 8,657 |
2022 Policy Central Services Changes |
||||
| Archives/Records Management | 0.0 | 6 | 31 | 37 |
| Audit Services | 0.0 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Legal Services | 0.0 | 76 | 399 | 475 |
| CTS Central Services | 0.0 | 113 | 558 | 671 |
| DES Central Services | 0.0 | 5 | 34 | 39 |
| OFM Central Services | 0.0 | 681 | 1,705 | 2,386 |
| Self-Insurance Liability Premium | 0.0 | 2 | 12 | 14 |
| 2022 Policy Central Services Changes Total | 0.0 | 884 | 2,744 | 3,628 |
| Total Policy Changes | 360.9 | 317,266 | 60,720 | 377,986 |
| 2022 Policy Level | 2,316.0 | 515,958 | 2,800,365 | 3,316,323 |
| Difference from 2021-23 Original | 360.9 | 319,821 | 72,259 | 392,080 |
| % Change from 2021-23 Original | 18.5% | 163.1% | 2.6% | 13.4% |
Policy Changes
Audit Services
Adjustments are made for each agency’s anticipated cost of audits performed by the State Auditor’s Office. (Health Professions Account - State, General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State, other funds)
Legal Services
Adjustments are made for each agency's anticipated cost of Attorney General's Office legal services based on a three-year average. Because legal services costs are based on usage, funding provided in the central service model is not all inclusive. (Health Professions Account - State, General Fund - State, General Fund - Local, other funds)
DES Central Services
Adjustments are made to reflect each agency’s anticipated share of charges from the Department of Enterprise Services for campus rent, parking, security and contracts; capital project surcharges; financing cost recovery; public and historic facilities; real estate services; risk management services; personnel service rates; the Perry Street and Capitol Campus child care centers; small agency services; and the department’s enterprise applications. See the 2021-23 Budget Instructions for allocation methodologies. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State, Health Professions Account - State, other funds)
OFM Central Services
Adjustments are made to reflect each agency’s anticipated share of charges for existing statewide applications, the One Washington program, and other central services provided by the Office of Financial Management. See the 2021-23 Budget Instructions for allocation methodologies. (Health Professions Account - State, General Fund - Local, General Fund - State, other funds)
WFSE General Government
The collective bargaining agreement includes a general wage increase of 3.25% for fiscal year 2023 and a lump sum payment for employees who were employed continuously starting on or before July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022. (Health Professions Account - State, General Fund - State, General Fund - Federal, other funds)
SEIU 1199 General Government
The collective bargaining agreement includes a general wage increase of 3.25% for fiscal year 2023 and a retention bonus payable in two equal installments. (Health Professions Account - State, General Fund - Local, General Fund - Federal, other funds)
Local Funding Adjustment
Additional local spending authority is provided to cover the costs of Washington state performing newborn screening testing for Idaho and Hawaii, which started in April 2021. This item also covers increased costs of premiums and prescriptions for eligible clients living with HIV/AIDS in our state. (General Fund - Private/Local, General Fund - Local)
Expand Smoking Cessation
Funding is provided to expand access to the smoking cessation quitline (1-800-Quit-Now). A program manager will help promote the quitline and provide training and outreach to health care providers. Additionally, funding is included to implement electronic referrals to the quitline and provide grants to develop messaging to help people quit smoking. (General Fund - State)
Expand Doula Services
Funding is provided to create requirements for a voluntary competency-based doula certification, for which the department may establish fees. Funding is provided to waive an estimated $100 fee for doulas who serve clients on Medicaid. (General Fund - State)
UDS System
Funding is provided for 2.0 FTE program staff to implement the new Universal Development Screening (UDS) system statewide. Originally funded in the 2019-21 biennium, the UDS system was completed in 2021 and is designed to improve childhood screening and referral activities. (General Fund - State)
Mental Health Access Project
Funding is provided for youth behavioral response teams to conduct behavioral health therapy and trauma-focused cognitive behavioral health therapy, screening and assessments for youth. The teams would be drawn from volunteers in psychology graduate programs. (General Fund - State)
COVID-19 Contain the Spread
Funding will continue supporting the ongoing statewide effort to control the spread of COVID-19 through diagnostic testing, case investigation and contact tracing, care coordination, outbreak response, disease surveillance, public communications, and necessary operational and information technology support. (General Fund - State, Coronavirus St Fiscal Recovery Fund - Federal)
Continue COVID-19 Vaccinations
Funding is provided for the continuation of COVID-19 vaccine work to address unequal vaccination coverage across the state and among certain demographic groups. Vaccine hesitancy, and the increasing threat of variants, present significant obstacles for the state to resume normal business operations and move beyond the pandemic. (General Fund - State)
Improving Credentialing Performance
Remote work compounded delays in the health professional credentialing section, resulting in a backlog of 34,000 pending health profession applications. Funding will provide project staff to reduce the backlog and complete credentials within seven calendar days of receiving a complete application. (General Fund - State)
Maintain Core Public Health Systems
Funding will support the development, maintenance, and operations of core public health information systems upon the expiration of federal funding from the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009. These four systems have proven to be critically important during the COVID-19 pandemic. (General Fund - State, General Fund - Federal)
WA Medical Coordination Center
Funding will continue the contract with the Washington Medical Coordination Center to provide services that connect all health care facilities, ensure maximum clinical coordination, and equitably distribute patients across regions and health care organizations. This will ensure quality patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic. (General Fund - State)
Sustain Child Profile Health System
Funding is provided to maintain the Watch Me Grow program which delivers critical health messages to parents, including well-child visits, immunization reminders, and other important health information. (General Fund - State)
Prevent Child Lead Exposure
Funds are provided to provide outreach to child care facilities on the dangers of lead exposure and to connect child care facilities to financial resources for lead removal remediation costs. (General Fund - State)
Address Drinking Water Backlog
A federal grant from the Environmental Protection Agency for the drinking water program was not fully expended in the 2019-21 biennium due to impacts from COVID-19. Spending authority is provided to fully spend the federal grant. (Drinking Water Assistance Account - Federal)
Cannabis Laboratory Testing
The department will provide expertise to the Interagency Cooperative Team to develop and review accreditation standards for cannabis laboratory testing. (Dedicated Marijuana Acct - State)
Upgrade Drinking Water System
Funding is provided to upgrade from the existing water data system to the Safe Drinking Water Information System, supported by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. The funding will allow for data to migrate from the obsolete data system to the new system. (Safe Drinking Water Account - State)
Upgrade Medical Cannabis Registry
This item will replace an outdated medical cannabis authorization data system. The new system will improve and simplify reporting and will increase accessibility for mobile and tablet devices. (Dedicated Marijuana Acct - State)
WIC Food Insecurity/Infant Formula
This funding will provide families who relocated from out of state faster access to medically-required therapeutic infant formula, establish a pilot for an electronic Farmer's Market Nutrition program benefit, and offer additional infant formula to low-income Washington families. (General Fund - State)
Health Boards & Commissions
Funding is provided for agency request legislation to change the composition of certain health boards, remove restrictive membership requirements, and simplify meeting requirements. The funds will allow certain boards to pay members a higher per diem. (Health Professions Account - State)
Reclaimed Water
The Department of Ecology and Department of Health will create tools and support to increase the use of reclaimed water. (General Fund - State)
Delays in Nursing Licenses
Funding is provided for 10.0 FTE licensing staff to achieve faster turnaround on completed nursing licenses. (Health Professions Account - State)
Long-Term Care Nursing Staff Crisis
The Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission will expand nursing assistant training and reduce the time someone needs to complete their nurse certification exam. The commission will also create an apprenticeship pathway to improve job prospects for nursing assistants and licensed practical nurses. (Health Professions Account - State, General Fund - State)
Nurse Preceptor Grants
Funding is provided to set up a grant program to provide funding to nurses who are willing to supervise nursing students in health care settings. The goal of this program is to help reduce a shortage of health care settings for students to conduct their clinical hours and bring more nurses into the field. (General Fund - State)
School-based Health Center Grants
This funding will expand grants to establish new school-based health centers and add behavioral health capacity to existing school-based health centers. (General Fund - State)
Youth Behavioral Health Program
Funding is provided for 4.1 FTE staff to lead a new youth behavioral health program, which includes the mental health access project and youth suicide prevention efforts. (General Fund - State)
Youth Suicide Prevention
Funding is provided to address gaps in strategies to prevent suicide. This includes funding for staffing to manage and implement youth suicide prevention campaigns. (General Fund - State)
Correct Technical Issues
Several technical issues are corrected to fix negative spending authority and align appropriations with published fiscal notes. (General Fund - State, Secure Drug Take-back Program Acct - State, Health Professions Account - State, other funds)
State Employee Benefits
Health insurance funding is provided for state employees who are not covered by the healthcare coalition. The insurance funding rate is $936 per employee per month for fiscal year 2022 and $1,130 per employee per month for fiscal year 2023. (Health Professions Account - State, General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State, other funds)
Rep Employee Health Benefits
Health insurance funding is provided as part of the master agreements for employees who bargain for health benefits as part of a coalition of unions. The insurance funding rate is $936 per employee per month for fiscal year 2022 and $1,130 per employee per month for fiscal year 2023. (General Fund - State, General Fund - Federal, Health Professions Account - State, other funds)
Non-Rep General Wage Increase
A general wage increase of 3.25%, effective July 1, 2022, is provided for state employees who are not represented by a union or who are covered by a bargaining agreement that is not subject to financial feasibility determination. (General Fund - State, Health Professions Account - State, General Fund - Federal, other funds)
PERS & TRS Plan 1 Benefit Increase
For eligible Public Employees' and Teachers' Retirement Systems Plan 1 members, this item provides an increase of 3%, up to a maximum of $110 per month. (General Fund - Federal, Health Professions Account - State, General Fund - State, other funds)
Archives/Records Management
Adjustments are made for each agency's anticipated share of charges for archives and records management services provided by the Secretary of State's Office. (General Fund - State, General Fund - Local, General Fund - Federal, other funds)
CTS Central Services
Adjustments are made to reflect each agency's anticipated share of charges from Consolidated Technology Services (CTS) for the Office of the Chief Information Officer, Office of Cyber Security, state network, enterprise services, small agency IT services, security gateways, and geospatial imaging services. See the 2021-23 Budget Instructions for allocation methodologies. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State, General Fund - Local, other funds)
Self-Insurance Liability Premium
Adjustments are made to reflect each agency's share of the actuarially projected costs of the self-insurance liability premium. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State, General Fund - Local, other funds)
