Funding is provided to transition the Automated Client Eligibility System (ACES) mainframe hardware operations to cloud technologies, using a WaTech enterprise contracted service, called Mainframe as a Service. This transition is necessary because the existing mainframe will no longer be serviceable or supported as of December of 2024, which creates risk of critical system failure. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - Medicaid Federal, General Fund - State, other funds)

This item provides staffing to help reduce the wait times experienced by customers of the Community Services Division when they call or come into a community service office. (General Fund - State, General Fund - Federal)

Funding and staff are provided to fully integrate the Asset Verification System (AVS) into the Automated Client Eligibility System (ACES) to move toward automated asset verification during Medicaid eligibility determinations. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)

Funding is provided for the administrative expenses associated with implementing the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (Summer EBT) program by the summer of 2024. This program will increase food benefits by $40 per child during the summer months for families that are under 185 percent of the federal poverty level and who have school-aged children that would typically receive free or reduced priced meals during the school year. This funding will increase food security for roughly 800,000 children in Washington during the three-month summer break each year. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)

Funding is provided to help cover the increased costs associated with the maintenance and operations of the Automated Client Eligibility System (ACES). Cost increases include a one-time expense for a vendor transition and other new ongoing maintenance and operation (M&O) services. (General Fund - Medicaid Federal, General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State, other funds)

This funding will expand the 60-month time limit in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program to households that are exempt from WorkFirst participation, are experiencing a temporary situation that prevents them from working, or that are actively participating in WorkFirst activities. (General Fund - State)

Funding and staffing are provided to replace skimmed or cloned cash assistance benefits up to two times each federal fiscal year effective July 1, 2024. In addition, this funding covers the replacement of Food Assistance Program benefits to ensure alignment with the replacement efforts outlined in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. (General Fund - State, General Fund - Federal)

Funding is provided to increase the State Supplemental Payment (SSP) from $45.36 per month to $70 per month for clients receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and who are served in medical institutions or in residential settings, effective July 1, 2023. This funding also estimates an annual cost-of-living adjustment beginning on January 1, 2024 to align with inflation adjustments made to benefits under Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance provided by the Social Security Administration. The cost-of-living adjustment on January 1, 2024 brings the SSP payment to $73.20. This funding is necessary in order to align the SSP program with changes made in Chapter 201, Laws of 2023. (General Fund - State)

Funds are provided to the Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance (ORIA) to expand support services for individuals newly arriving to the United States and Washington who do not qualify for federal refugee resettlement program services. Funding also includes staffing to cover the administrative expenses of coordinating a statewide approach to these support services. (General Fund - State)

The federal Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 made several changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) work requirements for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs). The changes include a phased-in age expansion and new work participation exemptions. Funding is provided to implement these changes and to support IT enhancements, staffing to serve increased SNAP and Food Assistance Program (FAP) caseloads, and food benefits associated with an increased FAP caseload. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)

Funding is provided for the staffing necessary to broaden the focus of Local Planning Area (LPA) partnerships to enhance poverty reduction efforts and to establish a customer voice council to advise the Community Services Division in developing, implementing, and evaluating programs and practices. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)

Funding is provided for the staffing necessary to process additional medical assistance cases resulting from the July 1, 2024 implementation of the Apple Health Expansion program. (General Fund - State)

Funds are provided for the continuation of the Integrated Eligibility and Enrollment (IE&E) IT project, including the design and implementation of a human-centered portal for people to use when accessing benefits across multiple health and human service agencies. This item also supports the expansion of the project office for program leadership, project governance, organizational change management, communications, contract and vendor management, and other core program office functions. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)

Funding is provided for technology enhancements and the project governance necessary to create efficiencies that will reduce call center and lobby wait times for customers of the Community Services Division. Enhancements include chatbot, robotic process automation, interactive voice response, and document upload. (General Fund - Family Support/Child Welfare, General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State, other funds)

Federal funding is provided for the administration of an additional one-time cash benefit made available through the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund. Federal funds cover the one-time cash benefit for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients, whereas state funds cover the benefit for recipients of the State Family Assistance and Food Assistance programs. (General Fund - State, General Fund - Federal)

Funding is provided for one-time relocation and project costs to support the Department of Social and Health Services' leased facilities strategic plan. (General Fund - State, General Fund - Medicaid Federal, General Fund - Federal, other funds)

Funding is provided to increase the retiree health insurance subsidy, adjusting the cap from $183 to $193 per month and raising the base subsidy percentage from 50 percent to 60 percent. The insurance funding rates are set at $1,145 per month for fiscal year 2024 and $1,158 per month for fiscal year 2025. (General Fund - State, General Fund - Medicaid Federal, General Fund - Federal, other funds)

Funding is provided to address salary inversion and compression issues arising from recent recruitment and retention adjustments made in Chapter 475, Laws of 2023 (ESSB 5187). (General Fund - Medicaid Federal, General Fund - State, General Fund - Cash, other funds)

Funding is provided for contribution rate impacts associated with proposed legislation that ensures the continuation of benefit payments through the end of the month in which a retiree or beneficiary dies. (General Fund - Medicaid Federal, General Fund - State, General Fund - Federal, other funds)