BISMARCK, N.D. (AP & KCSi-T.V. News May 2, 2013) – The next two-year budget for North Dakota’s Department of Human Services has broken a billion-dollar barrier.
 
     The state House and Senate have approved a Human Services budget that calls for state general fund spending of just under $1.2 billion – a record state agency budget.
 
     Human Services is the largest state agency, with more than 2,100 employees. Total spending for the department including federal money is estimated at just under $3 billion over the next two years.
 Gov. Jack Dalrymple Thursday signed into law House Bills 1012 and 1020, important legislation that will enhance North Dakota’s quality of life by providing services to the state’s most vulnerable citizens

House Bill 1012 allocates more than $2.9 billion for the North Dakota Department of Human Services, with $1.2 billion of that allocation coming from the General Fund. This budget includes an increase of more than $93 million to take over what the federal government used to cover for the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP), which funds Medicaid and other department programs.

This bill provides valuable services to North Dakotans, especially the state’s most vulnerable citizens, such as seniors and the disabled, and provides additional funding for healthcare providers, including critical access hospitals and rural health clinics.

            Highlights of the legislation include:

  • An investment of more than $4 million in home and community-based care services to help seniors remain in their homes longer. Additional funding will be available for senior meals, mileage reimbursements for Qualified Service Providers, and in-home services for seniors and others with extended care needs.
  • An increase of $2.2 million for additional bed capacity for the transitional living program and long-term residential program for individuals with mental illness and chemical dependency issues.
  • A wage and inflationary increase of more than $123 million for staff and service providers to help remain competitive in North Dakota’s growing economy and maintain a high standard of care across the state.
  • An investment of $2.7 million to assure that reimbursements for critical access hospitals and rural health clinics are closer to their actual costs.