2021 Special Session Testimony

Testimony by N. D. Department of Human Services staff members is posted by committee and listed by date.

House Appropriations Committee

Bill Number	Date Presented	Presenter	Testimony Subject
HB 1506	Nov. 8, 2021	Jonathan Alm, Legal Unit	Sections 4 - 15

Senate Appropriations Committee

Bill Number	Date Presented	Presenter	Testimony Subject
HB 1506	Nov. 9, 2021	Jonathan Alm, Legal Unit	Sections 4 - 15

2021-2022 Interim Testimony

Testimony by N. D. Department of Human Services staff members before Legislative Interim Committees is listed below. Testimony is posted by committee, and is listed by date. For convenience, presenter and subject information is included.

Detailed information about committees, upcoming meetings, and more is listed on the Legislative Branch website at http://www.legis.nd.gov/.

List By Committee:

Acute Psychiatric Treatment Committee
Administrative Rules Committee
Budget Section
Education Funding Committee
Employee Benefits Programs Committee
Government Administration Committee
Government Finance Committee
Health Care Committee
Higher Education Committee
Human Services Committee
Information Technology Committee
Interim Senate Appropriations Committee
Judiciary Committee
Legislative Audit and Fiscal Review Committee
Taxation Committee
Tribal and State Relations Committee
Archive links to past Testimony

Acute Psychiatric Treatment Committee

Department Testimony
July 28, 2022	Krista Fremming, Medical Services Division	Status of the department seeking Medicaid plan amendments or Medicaid waivers pursuant to Section 5 of House Bill No. 1012 (2021)
June 15, 2022	Monica Haugen, Behavioral Health Division	Status of Medicaid Section 1915(i) implementation
June 15, 2022	Rosalie Etherington, Chief Clinics Officer/North Dakota State Hospital Superintendent	Regional crisis service data for adults and youth and assessment data at each human service center
June 15, 2022	Pamela Sagness, Behavioral Health Division	Potential plan to implement recommendations included in the Renee Schulte Consulting, LLC, final report, including suggestions for recommendation prioritization
April 28, 2022	Rosalie Etherington, Chief Clinics Officer/North Dakota State Hospital Superintendent	Data on critical access hospitals providing telepsychiatry behavioral health services and mobile crisis response services; Agreements between critical access hospitals and mobile crisis units for telehealth crisis services and Southeast Human Service Center regarding acute psychiatric hospital and residential care services and programs available and any recommendations of additional services and needs
Jan. 20, 2022	Brad Brown, West Central Human Service Center	Acute psychiatric hospital and residential care services and programs available and any recommendations of additional services and needs
Jan. 20, 2022	Krista Fremming, Medical Services Division	Status of an institutions for mental disease waiver for North Dakota tribal entities
Jan. 20, 2022	Rosalie Etherington, Chief Clinics Officer/North Dakota State Hospital Superintendent	Percentage and total utilization of State Hospital beds and facilities; data relating to the number of individuals referred by the courts for assessment at human service centers and the number of individuals sentenced or released to receive treatment at the State Hospital or human service centers; and the number of individuals from Jamestown and Devils Lake and the surrounding areas who receive acute care services at the State Hospital, including the cost of providing the services
Oct. 25, 2021	Rosalie Etherington, Chief Clinics Officer/North Dakota State Hospital Superintendent	Bed capacity and utilization of the State Hospital, including buildings currently occupied, buildings no longer in service, behavioral health services provided, and future bed capacity and utilization needs of the State Hospital and patients
Sept. 28, 2021	Dr. Bevin Croft, Human Services Research Institute	North Dakota Behavioral Health Strategic Plan Behavioral Health Strategic Plan Dashboard
Sept. 28, 2021	Rosalie Etherington, Chief Clinics Officer/North Dakota State Hospital Superintendent	Cost, benefit and need of implementing a behavioral health bed management system and the status of the system's implementation
July 29, 2021	Caprice Knapp, Medical Services Division	Institutions of Mental Diseases Concept and Process Overview
July 29, 2021	Rosalie Etherington, Chief Clinics Officer/North Dakota State Hospital Superintendent	Public inpatient and outpatient public behavioral health services Handout: Behavioral Health Crisis Services Handout: Residential Care and Geropsychiatric Services
July 29, 2021	Pamela Sagness, Behavioral Health Division	Behavioral Health Services Handout: Licensed Substance Abuse Treatment Program in North Dakota Handout: Medicaid 1915i State Plan Amendment Overview Handout: ND Behavioral Health Strategic Plan Dashboard

Administrative Rules Committee

Department Testimony

Budget Section

Department Testimony
March 30, 2022	Chris Jones, Executive Director	Presentation by representatives of the State Department of Health and Department of Human Services of an update regarding the integration of the departments and the proposed organizational chart for the new department
Sept. 30, 2021	Pamela Sagness, Behavioral Health Division	Status of the substance use disorder voucher program

Education Funding Committee

Department Testimony
June 16, 2022	Tina Bay, Developmental Disabilities Division	Developmental Disabilities services that qualify for reimbursement under Medicaid

Employee Benefits Programs Committee

Department Testimony

Government Administration Committee

Department Testimony

Government Finance Committee

Department Testimony
April 27, 2022	Marcie Wuitschick, Human Resources	Classification and reclassification requests since July 1, 2020, under the revised classification system, including the reasons for the changes and the costs and benefits of the changes; and comments on the revised classification system

Health Care Committee

Department Testimony
June 16, 2022	Erik Elkins, Medical Services Division	ND Medicaid: Value-based purchasing
June 16, 2022	Darrold Bertsch, Medical Services Division	ND Medicaid: Value-based purchasing
June 16, 2022	Brendan Joyce, Medical Services Division	Steps necessary for the state to become its own pharmacy benefits manager
March 2, 2022	Krista Fremming, Medical Services Division	Medicaid reimbursement for community health workers and tribal communities
Dec. 16, 2021	Brendan Joyce, Medical Services Division	Medical assistance pharmacy services

Higher Education Committee

Department Testimony
June 20, 2022	Pamela Sagness, Behavioral Health Division	Behavioral health workforce needs

Human Services Committee

Department Testimony
Aug. 9, 2022	Caprice Knapp, Medical Services Division	DHS response to Alvarez and Marsal Study
Aug. 9, 2022	Krista Fremming, Medical Services Division	Update regarding the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) pilot project and the ASD task force
Aug. 9, 2022	Jessica Thomasson, Executive Policy Director	Benefit cliffs in public assistance programs
Aug. 9, 2022	Jodi Hulm, Medical Services Division	Annual report regarding the children's health insurance program
Aug. 9, 2022	Sara Stolt, DHS Chief Operating Officer	Interim Indirect Cost Study for Human Service Zones
Aug. 9, 2022	Sara Stolt, DHS Chief Operating Officer	Updates on Human Service Zone issues and background checks Handout: CBCU Data January - June 2021 and 2022
June 30, 2022	Sara Stolt, DHS Chief Operating Officer	Update regarding studies affecting human service zones
June 30, 2022	Kay Larson, Early Childhood Services Division	Early childhood services update - Report on 4-Year Old Program and division efforts
June 30, 2022	Caprice Knapp, Medical Services Division	Use of funds in the tribal health care coordination fund
June 30, 2022	Jessica Thomasson, Executive Policy Director	Options to address "benefit cliffs" in public assistance programs - Helping families overcome barriers to economic success
June 30, 2022	Krista Fremming, Medical Services Division	Provider reimbursement rates under the medical assistance expansion program
June 30, 2022	Krista Fremming, Medical Services Division and Juliette Price and Ken Robin, Helgerson Solutions Group	Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment Program
June 30, 2022	Pamela Sagness, Behavioral Health Division	Update on behavioral health services
April 27, 2022	Nancy Nikolas-Maier, Adult and Aging Services Division	Update on increased access to home and community-based services
April 27, 2022	Heather Brandt, Behavioral Health Division	Permanent supportive housing services
April 27, 2022	Holly Triska-Dally, State Refugee Coordinator	Refugee resettlement program
April 27, 2022	Kay Larson, Early Childhood Division	Early childhood programs
April 27, 2022	Caprice Knapp, Medical Services Division	Current status of the federal public health emergency
April 27, 2022	Amber Huez, Medical Services Division	DHS quality strategy Children's Health Care Quality Measures for Medicaid Adult's Health Care Quality Measures for Medicaid
April 27, 2022	Chris Jones, DHS Executive Director	Status of the integration of the Department of Health and Department of Human Services
April 27, 2022	Sara Stolt, DHS Chief Operating Officer	Options for human service zones to opt in to state employment Governance Process and Timeline
April 27, 2022	Jessica Thomasson, Family Stability and Community Inclusion	Options to remove the "benefit cliff" from public assistance programs
Jan. 11, 2022	LeeAnn Thiel, Medical Services Division	Update on the status of the development of a revised payment methodology for basic care facilities pursuant to Section 60 of House Bill No. 1012 (2021)
Jan. 11, 2022	Monica Haugen, Behavioral Health Division	Federal Medicaid 1915(i) state plan amendment, including recent changes to the amendment
Jan. 11, 2022	Brendan Joyce, Medical Services Division	Pharmacy services provided through the Medicaid program, including high-cost drugs
Jan. 11, 2022	Cory Pedersen, Children & Family Services Division	Youth shelter and residential facilities
Jan. 11, 2022	Dr. Nizar Wehbi, State Health Officer and Chris Jones, DHS Executive Director	Department of Health and Department of Human Services Integration update
Jan. 11, 2022	Caprice Knapp, Medical Services Division	Update regarding the transition to a new vendor for the Medicaid Expansion program and an update regarding the federal COVID-19 public health emergency, including program and funding changes when the health emergency ends
Jan. 11, 2022	Sara Stolt, DHS Chief Operating Officer	Status of the development of a process for the payment of indirect costs to human service zones and status of developing a process to transition human service zone employees to state employment (opt-in)
Oct. 21, 2021	Michele Gee, Economic Assistance Division	Regarding income and asset limits for public assistance programs, state's median income and federal poverty levels, andTANF JOBS and SNAP employment and training program (HCR 3013)
Oct. 21, 2021	Kay Larson, Early Childhood Division	Report on program for four-year-olds (Best in Class) and DHS Early Childhood Division
Oct. 21, 2021	Holly Triska-Dally, State Refugee Coordinator	Refugee resettlement in the state
Oct. 21, 2021	Jodi Hulm, Medical Services Division	Regarding enrollment statistics and costs of the children's health insurance program state plan
Oct. 21, 2021	Jodi Hulm, Medical Services Division	Information regarding children referred for services through the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment program but who do not receive treatment
Oct. 21, 2021	Sara Stolt, Chief Operating Officer	Study of DHS and human service zone employee compensation Handout - Average compensation ratio DHS & human service zones Handout - Average compensation rate by job code
Aug. 3, 2021	Tina Bay, Developmental Disabilities Division	Developmental Disabilities System Reimbursement Project
Aug..3, 2021	Jodi Hulm, Medical Services Division	Overview of the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment program and an update on the department's study of the program
Aug. 3, 2021	Sara Stolt, Chief Operating Officer	Refugee services
Aug. 3, 2021	Chris Jones, DHS Executive Director and Dr. Nizar Wehbi, State Health Officer	Department of Health and Department of Human Services integration update
Aug. 3, 2021	Jessica Thomasson, Family Stability and Community Inclusion	Early Childhood Services
Aug. 3, 2021	Michele Gee, Economic Assistance Division	Public assistance programs that limit the number of hours worked or the amount of income that may be received, including whether the limitations are imposed by state or federal laws
Aug. 3, 2021	Krista Fremming, Medical Services Division	Overview of the autism spectrum disorder waiver and autism spectrum disorder voucher programs
Aug. 3, 2021	Tina Bay, Developmental Disabilities Division	Overview of developmental disabilities and the developmental disabilities system in the state including eligibility criteria and screening process
Aug. 3, 2021	Sara Stolt, Chief Operating Officer	Overview of human service zones, information about compensation disparities, and employee benefits Handout: Employee benefits

Information Technology Committee

Department Testimony
Oct. 21, 2021	Carmen Traeholt, Early Childhood Division	Child Care Licensing system and web portal

Interim Senate Appropriations Committee

Department Testimony
Oct. 12, 2021	Caprice Knapp, Jessica Thomasson, Rosalie Etherington and Pamela Sagness, Executive Policy Directors	Proposals to use funds for information technology and other purposes (108)
Oct. 12, 2021	Pamela Sagness, Behavioral Health Executive Policy Director	Proposals to use funds for other purposes - Community behavioral health recommendations (111)
Oct. 12, 2021	Jessica Thomasson, Family Stability and Community Inclusion Executive Policy Director	Proposals to use funds for other purposes - Child care recommendations (112 and 113)

Judiciary Committee

Department Testimony
March 3, 2022	Cory Pedersen, Children & Family Services Division	Shelter care services for children and youth
Oct. 5, 2021	Pamela Sagness, Behavioral Health Division	Mental health services available for youth

Legislative Audit and Fiscal Review Committee

Department Testimony

Taxation Committee

Department Testimony

Tribal and State Relations Committee

Department Testimony
Feb. 8, 2022	Pamela Sagness, Behavioral Health Division	State and tribal behavioral health partnerships
Feb. 8, 2022	Cory Pedersen, Children and Family Services Division	State and tribal child welfare partnerships

Copyright © 2016 NDDHS. All rights reserved.