The largest 2024 supplemental budget request is from the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS). (I wrote about the agency requests overall earlier this week.) DSHS has requested a $775.5 million increase to its general fund–state (GFS) operating budget (an increase of 7.7% over enacted 2023–25 appropriations).

Of the new requests by DSHS, 72.4% are in the mental health program area. That includes several requests related to the Trueblood lawsuit. In 2014, the state was sued over delays in competency evaluations and restoration services for people in jail. In 2018, the state entered into a contempt settlement agreement, which meant that $290 million in contempt fines would be suspended. In July 2023, a federal court found the state in breach of the contempt settlement agreement and ordered it to pay $100.3 million of the previously suspended fines.

Consequently, DSHS’s budget request includes $100.3 million for Trueblood contempt fines, plus another $14.1 million for plaintiff attorney fees and additional contempt fines in the case that had not been suspended.

DSHS is also requesting $250.0 million in 2023–25 (and $226.0 million in 2025–27) to acquire, improve, and operate Olympic Heritage Behavioral Health in Tukwila. According to the agency, this will add up to 113 inpatient psychiatric beds and will “eliminate the backlog of civil patients residing in forensic beds at” Western State Hospital, helping the state comply with the Trueblood orders.

Additionally, the request includes a placeholder—but no cost estimate—for forensic bed capacity expansion to help the state comply with Trueblood: “A plan for forensic bed expansion is in development to maximize the use of state hospital beds for competency restoration services and reduce the wait times of individuals waiting in jail for services.” No additional information is provided, but the cost will surely be significant, and it will be on top of the $775.5 million total requested by DSHS.

Other major GFS spending requests from DSHS include:

• $42.6 million in 2023–25 and $86.3 million in 2025–27 for an 8% increase to community residential provider rates.
• $23.8 million in 2023–25 and $47.6 million in 2025–27 to increase supported employment provider rates.
• $26.8 million in 2023–25 and $57.9 million in 2025–27 to increase assisted living facility rates.
• $7.3 million in 2023–25 and $46.8 million in 2025–27 to hire case managers in order to reduce developmental disability caseload sizes.
• $20.9 million in 2023–25 and $42.3 million in 2025–27 to broaden hardship exemptions for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and State Family Assistance so that people who have received benefits for 60 months (the normal time limit) can “continue receiving cash assistance benefits if they otherwise meet program requirements.”
• $32.1 million in 2023–25 and $82.6 million in 2025–27 to increase staff “to improve customer service for Washingtonians seeking and receiving public assistance.”