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September 29, 2010 in News
DSHS to cut staff by 380
Long-term care, mental health programs trimmed
OLYMPIA — One of the state’s largest agencies will cut 380 employees, give the remaining staff two more days of unpaid leave and reduce the amounts spent on long-term care, mental health, children’s assistance and several other programs.
The Department of Social and Health Services detailed Wednesday how it will take the mandated 6.3 percent cuts that most state agencies other than public schools must take because of the state’s falling tax revenues.
DSHS is under orders to cut $168 million from its fiscal year budget and is the largest agency facing cuts ordered by Gov. Chris Gregoire after low revenue forecasts were released earlier this month.
To do that, DSHS Secretary Susan Dreyfus said the agency will cut spending on long-term care programs by $40 million, mental health spending by $25.6 million, children’s administration by $19.3 million, supplemental nutrition assistance for non-citizens by $7.2 million and the Disability Lifeline by $6.1 million.
“This is not just about reducing, this is about resetting for the future,” Dreyfus said in a press release announcing the cuts.
The agency will also cut 380 full-time equivalent positions; it’s already down 2,000 from the 2008 levels, she said. Those who remain will take two additional days off without pay, one in November and one next May. Like most state employees, DSHS workers had already been ordered to take 10 days off between last July and next June.
DSHS is the first state agency to announce its cuts, but other agencies are under orders to have their plans in place by Friday. The plans are submitted to the state’s Office of Financial Management, but aren’t formally approved by that agency or Gregoire, state officials said.
Glenn Kuper, a spokesman for OFM, said the agency or Gregoire could tell a department head to change something but “we’re not seeing anything yet that we’re telling them not to do.”
Kuper added: “It’s about what we expected, given the size of the cuts.”
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empyrius on September 29 at 4:12 p.m.
What are you talking about Kamm? You must be a state employee or on the dole yourself!
Only communists defend communism!
Anyways, to what post are you responding?
hcamper on September 29 at 4:36 p.m.
Holy cow - I had no idea how big DSHS is. Those are huge savings in terms of dollars. Many people, both recipients and employees will be negatively impacted.
Shylock13 on September 29 at 5:04 p.m.
Budget cuts, like sales taxes, adversely affect the physically and mentally ill, children, the disabled, the elderly, and the poor. A better way might be to cut support for those who need it the least, and to institute “pay-as-you-go” fees for such things as state parks and the ferry system! The more the state cuts medical benefits, the more folks will end up in emergency rooms, which have to take them, raising health care costs for all of us! And today’s children are tomorrow’s adults—either productive or not!
Bob_Knows on September 29 at 6:16 p.m.
Well, that’s a drop in the bucket. How about they cut salaries down to $50,000 or so? Make these no-work government positions equal or less than private jobs that require actual work? Oh, that’s right. We have Haywire running things.
Dazzeetrader1980 on September 29 at 6:20 p.m.
Theo…you’re incorrect. Cuts improve efficiency. DSHS can afford to lose 500 people if they need to. 380 jobs come from a bloated do nothing agency. It would be better for the people if DSHS was managed privately, Fully 1/3rd of the funds could be saved.
Besides, there are too many agencies who do the same thing when you look at city, county, state and federal.
Reader99 on September 29 at 7:24 p.m.
So the agency has been ordered to work with $168 million less? My goodness that would seem to explain a lot. Because apparently its automated help line won’t accept calls at least regarding unprocessed claims before eight in the morning and within the first minute the estimated wait time jumps to seven hours. So in addition to cutting staff there might be something else the agency is doing to make ends meet which apparently it might have started doing back in June.
hawken on September 29 at 7:25 p.m.
Looks like that in some small measure, we are getting smaller government in spite of the big government, Progressive, Liberal, Socialists unrelenting attempts to grow it bigger, raise taxes, borrow more, print more and waste more…
Look at these numbers relating to government waste for 2010…. and we have a whole quarter left in the year before the final numbers are added up!
Total Pork Barrel Spending; Almost $9 Billion!
Washington State: Over $260 Million [we rank #21 out of 50.]
New York State ranks #45 well below us! That’s a surprise to me!] Masachusetts ranks #28 below us and one of the most liberal tax and spend states in the nation! Oregon and California rank #39 and #40 respectfully, below us…
Thank you WA politicians! We have the greatest Pork Barrel, wasteful spending on the West Coast!
On the East Coast Maryland, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Florida…. ALL have less Pork Barrel, Wasteful, spending than do we!! Oh my! we also have more wasteful, Pork Barrel spending than states on the East Coast as well.
Here’s the source…. see for yourself! By the way, this is a NON-Profit, NON-Partisan source.
http://www.cagw.org/reports/pig-book/2010/
Every once in a while systems need to purge themselves of excess fat… It’s always painful and I don’t mean to sound flippant or suggest the pain is not real for those whom have lost their jobs. Nevertheless, such a purging is healthy for the people of our state and nation…. especially now when our Socialist government is hell bent to grow government, increase taxes, borrow more, spend more and print more money!
This madness must stop…. or at least be slowed as much as possible.
Scoutster on September 29 at 10:31 p.m.
Whine, whine whine…no new taxes. Screw the people who work for the state (and their contractors).
But let me complain about the poor services people in state care receive (nursing homes, group homes, state hospitals, assisted living, etc). What’s wrong with those people?!
You mean you can only pay them $9.00 an hour to change briefs, feed people, walk them and keep them safe? That’s terrible. You should pay them more! What’s wrong with you people who provide services?! Pay more so you can get good people!
Whine whine whine…no new taxes.
eagleproducer on September 29 at 11:06 p.m.
Dazed: Yeah, the private sector always succeeds at everything.
Oh wait, I forgot about giving them a trillion dollars recently to reset their watches.
Remember in November is my new clarion call. Remember the eight years of failed policies that created this mess that those in the GOP wish to return to. Remember.