[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6192534,"mediaKeyId","4085035-ec07004095fc69c3c5f1117de21dd483","parentId",4085035,"title","Walworth County considers outsourcing Birth to 3 therapists amid budget pressures","audioSeconds",2715,"startMs",115000,"endMs",2830000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=4085035-ec07004095fc69c3c5f1117de21dd483&start=115&end=2830","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/4085035-ec07004095fc69c3c5f1117de21dd483/thumbnail_115000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6192534/Walworth-County/Wisconsin/Walworth-County-considers-outsourcing-Birth-to-3-therapists-amid-budget-pressures","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6192534-c3f281dacc8e648e4e37a7d8f7599000/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447627&Signature=HGsPr4Hz-8fbfPFHMuWbUoCq6xHmVcZYjLYYxo5LLiEpdUeHxxznY19pMzwTTazAuCnZXlmaBPFc0dG4s-uugpRZPq5~zvpf82Fsn4sdfaizYabIGftaoTg-qWCHFD-rQJ2QBtM1KEPjc2H-QQ2NC8g8p-J62WMrTxPV5aJVjSTdDAEx3gXy1UdcHKWiGLAL4vHIiCCU7Xl4oY6xs51nM2s4M0Pbm~DX342PxC99aFK6IN7D4wZ-M~iCjDqOCjsQkJs2Q9HtugDU~F3G7rxrzcPg~IVBcF5n3bJ2GD5Qv7eOvoaia3jxZExO8DJi7aBlqZf879F~ZpPQtxETN~l4nw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","WI / Walworth County ","date","2025-06-18T00:00:00Z","article","Walworth County Health and Human Services Board members discussed a proposal June 18 to convert four county-employed Birth to 3 therapists to contract employees as part of the department's 2026 budget planning, an option officials say would reduce levy dependence and address staffing vulnerability.

The proposal matters because Birth to 3 is a statutorily required early-intervention program for infants and toddlers with developmental delays; the HHS administrator told the board the county currently contributes about $990,000 in levy to the program, including a required maintenance-of-effort match of about $458,000 and a state grant of roughly $194,000, while program revenue runs near $240,000.

During the meeting four therapists who work in Walworth County's Birth to 3 program urged the board to keep the staff as county employees and described potential service impacts if they were moved to contracted employment. Carlene Liberto, one of two speech-language pathologists in the program, said the team has \"dedicated our careers and time to the children and families of Walworth County for more than 20 years\" and described losses that could follow contracting, including county vehicles, county cell phones used for family communication, and a roughly 40% cut in mileage reimbursement.

Jeanne Lutke, an occupational therapist, described in-home services she provides \"during the most critical stage of development birth to age 3\" and said county employment gives the team \"direct access to all information needed\" and local accountability. Heather Abels, a physical therapist with 25 years in the program, said private agencies \"have historically struggled\" to hire and retain therapists and noted that a large for-profit rehab agency serving multiple counties currently had nine open pediatric physical-therapist positions.

Carlo Nabokosi, the department head who presented the budget option, told the board the idea is intended to reduce levy reliance and to address what he described as program vulnerability because the county's four specialized therapists are difficult to replace or scale around vacancies. \"Contracted providers have efficiencies that we don't in that they're not bound by county lines,\" Nabokosi said, adding a contractor that responded to the county's request for information serves 13'14 other counties and has achieved the state's \"meets requirement\" status for Birth to 3 in those jurisdictions. He also said the vendor expressed interest in hiring the four therapists \"at their same hourly rate,\" but that benefits, mileage and vehicle access, and other details differ by employer and cannot be guaranteed without a contract.

Board members asked whether staff had explored alternatives such as sharing positions with neighboring counties or improving local billing systems. Nabokosi said some options exist but that contracting rose to the top of his list because a multi-county provider can scale staff regionally and because the county's billing unit is small; he acknowledged the therapists were not involved in earlier billing discussions and said county staff have taken steps to improve revenue capture. Supervisor discussion also flagged the county's repeated \"needs assistance\" status under the state's status-determination tool; Nabokosi and the program supervisor said the state's tool does not always capture short-term child progress, which contributed to an unfavorable status in prior years.

No formal motion or vote occurred on the outsourcing proposal during the June 18 meeting. The board asked staff to return with additional information for discussion in July, including: (1) follow-up conversations with counties that contract Birth to 3 services to learn how contractors manage continuity of care and family-level outcomes; (2) more detail on the vendor referenced in the RFI and what benefits/operational differences a contract would create; and (3) invitations for families served by the program to speak to the committee about continuity of care.

Next steps: the item will be listed on the July committee agenda so the public can comment and the board can receive the additional vendor/county information; the department head said he must finalize his recommendation in August for the administrator and finance director, and the county budget is due to the board in September.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Walworth County Health & Human Services Board - June 18, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Walworth County Health and Human Services Board members discussed a proposal June 18 to convert four county-employed Birth to 3 therapists to contract employees as part of the department's 2026 budget planning, an option officials say would reduce levy dependence and address staffing vulnerability.","taxTitle","Walworth County, Wisconsin","taxId",54224,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6192525,"Twin Oaks shelter planning and Delavan beach closure reported to Walworth County HHS board",445,3913000,4358000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=4085035-ec07004095fc69c3c5f1117de21dd483&start=3913&end=4358","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/4085035-ec07004095fc69c3c5f1117de21dd483/thumbnail_3913000.jpg","/articles/6192525/Walworth-County/Wisconsin/Twin-Oaks-shelter-planning-and-Delavan-beach-closure-reported-to-Walworth-County-HHS-board","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6192525-80999d74f3e032bdc4f4d0107e68af10/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447627&Signature=Zm3ricDyIbVHF1OYUMxDPUaeiZVe8-B6~aFa~-EeZ87czAHEGmwFeBdgNbEbpgLUaknXruBxtsvrsyl52ghxxYpm1gCYNlQn6WyQxg5FDO6p4qqhBDwv0tgA4ZS5XLzLxAQUTQGWMWX12ZpMbCO~DMmKZ9GmFVSVveWjn5I2Igjt8JbL17XEE5GkgnsHu5aJwWGw04pQUwxF8gNXlgifwY3uvPLYZndmkxyq3mIE26swRH5nTjmAsMiarOev5MutULaNT0Vc7Ye6zuKQlf9owpuPqr94u3nKLHWjh3Z9MEiq90~nK3nLFZIsWXypwVLvYyb2mVCxxqkYAEzKZ1M~Ww__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Walworth County Health and Human Services staff updated the board June 18 on Twin Oaks shelter planning and public-health sampling that led to closure of Delavan Community Beach after high E. coli counts.

Carlo Nabokosi, department head, reported Community Action sold a gifted Elkhorn property that had been considered as a shelter site and that a Twin Oaks Shelter Committee has explored renovation and demolition options for the existing shelter. The committee discussed applying for WEDA grants for renovation and also considered demolition and rebuilding; Nabokosi said demolition was estimated to cost about $500,000 plus asbestos and vermiculite mitigation, but committee members raised concerns about service disruption if the only county shelter were taken offline for 12'24 months. Twin Oaks remained full with a waiting list Nabokosi said was 62 families long, and singles face a five- to six-month wait.

On water safety, county staff collected samples June 16 at Delavan Community Beach; results received late the following day indicated high E. coli counts. The county worked with the town of Delavan to close the beach, and the Department of Natural Resources website and the township posted notices, county staff said. Retesting was underway and staff cautioned that recent rain made immediate improvements unlikely.

The board asked staff to track Twin Oaks planning and to return updates later in the year; no formal action or funding decision was made at the June 18 meeting.","Officials updated the Health & Human Services Board on Twin Oaks shelter planning (sale of a potential site, renovation vs. demolition options, a 62-family waiting list) and announced Delavan Community Beach closure after high E. coli counts; the board asked staff to monitor developments and return updates later in the year.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6192529,"Walworth County reviews economic support program: staffing, training and potential state funding shifts",799,3088000,3887000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=4085035-ec07004095fc69c3c5f1117de21dd483&start=3088&end=3887","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/4085035-ec07004095fc69c3c5f1117de21dd483/thumbnail_3088000.jpg","/articles/6192529/Walworth-County/Wisconsin/Walworth-County-reviews-economic-support-program-staffing-training-and-potential-state-funding-shifts","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6192529-d12335329713bde424c945b80d90fa14/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447627&Signature=Y7N660R5iPhiA7nG-FQCP0DSPVOdRsi2Oy62YZWzEjN2IV3veoric0osg1-~lxydpA-bQjm7Vzkg7hY6y5-fAatnh06UCzpCxBXVgCqg5pWwW4J4QkzdeX7uxX7vhrwBdqyEPKLiu5apzVAhajUQVFkv6p1lZr2UBrzx4VxisaLG3dTkTONVToqxbDffCXI7YuOELAEuXRefhKhANh4I~86Mh07vfR1sU-vLPWNFu6f8AaTLw6aM--aybqBDTefwgPsSwJRWXPzzePeSJH~00x2wtLMj6H75pjP2BxOE7lO~2zC5-namKUl0YtBFu5RfKU9j5SFdG~RnxPRnDt0FaA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Walworth County Health and Human Services staff presented an annual overview June 18 of Economic Support Services, which operates in a five-county Moraine Lakes Consortium and administers benefits including health care, FoodShare, child-care assistance and Medicare premium assistance.

The program matters because it handles federally funded benefits on behalf of county residents and relies on a trained workforce; department presenters said the team includes 27 full-time FTEs and one part-time LTE, six bilingual Spanish-speaking staff, and subject-matter specialists for child care, fraud/overpayment, and long-term care. The county also operates a regional call center shared with Fond du Lac, Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties.

Mia Anderson Inman, lead economic support services supervisor, and Barb Propera, economic support services supervisor, told the board the unit has seen increasing turnover: four staff left in 2023'24 and five had left by June 2025. They described an extensive training pipeline for new economic support workers that the presenters said typically takes about 30 weeks from posting to independent casework: eight weeks of state virtual training, eight weeks of one-on-one lead training with live-case review, two weeks of monitored call-center work, then progressive independence over a five- to nine-month period.

The presenters said Moraine Lakes has met timeliness benchmarks for applications and renewals and that average speed-of-answer targets are 10 minutes. Call volume has fallen after the COVID unwinding and the introduction of online application and renewal tools.

The presentation addressed FoodShare quality-control reviews required by federal rules; county staff said the Moraine Lakes Consortium's error rate has improved and that fiscal year 2024 results may place the state among the best nationally, pending final federal reporting. Common local error types include unreported income and misreported shelter costs; staff said system checks that hold confirmations for review have helped reduce errors.

Presenters warned of possible state-level policy changes that could shift costs to counties. They summarized a pending state bill's elements under discussion, including expanded work requirements for Medicaid and FoodShare, reduced retroactive Medicaid coverage, and a proposed state cost-sharing model for benefits administration that could pass more administrative costs to counties. The presenters said even with the consortium's low error rate, a statewide cost-share model could create significant county-level funding uncertainty.

No committee action was taken; the presentation was informational and staff said they will continue to monitor state budget developments and report significant changes to the committee.","Walworth County staff presented an annual overview of the Economic Support Services program, describing a five-county Moraine Lakes Consortium, staffing and training timelines, improved FoodShare error rates, and concerns about proposed state cost-sharing changes that could shift administrative costs to counties.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Walworth County considers outsourcing Birth to 3 therapists amid budget pressures

Twin Oaks shelter planning and Delavan beach closure reported to Walworth County HHS board

Walworth County reviews economic support program: staffing, training and potential state funding shifts