The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare presented its budget requests to the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee Tuesday morning.

Health and Welfare has surpassed public education as the state's largest expense.

The committee didn't get to hear the department's requests for the Division of Medicaid yet. That discussion will happen Wednesday morning.

Medicaid Expansion is up for its five year review this year. It's expected to come under scrutiny from Republican lawmakers.

For the Division of Child Welfare, the department presented three line item requests.

It's asking for an additional $2 million for congregate care costs.

Health and welfare director Dave Jeppesen says children with greater needs end up receiving help in congregate care facilities.

"The kiddos that go to this congregate care typically have a mental health issue of some kind- either a mental health or substance use issue and often have a developmental disability that goes along with that," Jeppesen said.

About half of the request would come from the general fund, the other half from federal dollars.

Jeppesen is also requesting about $537,000 for ongoing congregate care operating expenses.

"It is a high, intense staffing model to care for a child that's a diabetic, autistic and also has bipolar disorder, and so that's the kind of children we're talking about there," he said.

An investigation by CBS2 found many foster kids were getting transferred to facilities out of state.

Cameron Gilliland, an administrator for the Division of Family and Community Services, says when they can bring good providers to those facilities and pay them well, it could help keep more children in Idaho.

A one-time request of about $2 million from the general fund - a supplemental funding proposal - would provide parent and caregiver trainings, as a way to prevent abuse and neglect, and help keep children out of the foster care system.

"We have parents who never stood a chance. They grew up in a home, what they were modeled was violence and substance abuse. They were modeled instability. There's no parenting gene," Jeppesen said.

Last session, lawmakers approved funding needed for 24 new child welfare positions. Leaders with Health and Welfare say it's making a big difference already.

All of those positions have been filled. It takes about nine months for the new hires to become fully trained.

"I think our long term staff are feeling some relief with these new workers coming in - taking some of the weight off of their shoulders," Gilliland said.

Gilliland says last year they had a roughly 20 percent turnover rate, but with help from the legislature to provide pay increases and retention bonuses, they're seeing much less turnover.

"The case loads have dropped down. You can see it with workers. They tell me they're happy to see case loads more manageable, and work-life balance being better," Gilliland said.

They aren't requesting any additional funding for more staff.

JFAC will take the requests into consideration when writing its budget for the Department of Health and Welfare.

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