Oklahoma DHS seeks stepped-up funding of reform plan
BY MICHAEL MCNUTT NewsOK.com
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
1/23/13 at 4:25 AM
OKLAHOMA CITY - The Department of Human Services is seeking a larger-than-anticipated increase in state funds to accelerate recommended changes in a five-year plan to improve child-welfare operations.
Ed Lake, director of the state's largest agency, told a legislative budget subcommittee Tuesday the agency is seeking about $11 million more than expected to be appropriated in the first two years of the Pinnacle Plan.
Lake, hired in October from Tennessee, where he was deputy director of that state's human services agency, said the agency would like a $46 million increase instead of the projected $30 million hike to implement the plan for the 2014 fiscal year, which begins July 1.
"We want to accelerate some of the work that we're doing to get some of these reforms in place quicker because they're critical to the overall success of the plan," Lake said. "They're critical to providing services, driving workloads down."
Original Print Headline: DHS seeks stepped-up funding
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Associated Images:
State Sen. Kim David, R-Porter, asks a question Tuesday as state Rep. Jason Nelson, R-Oklahoma City, looks on during a joint House and Senate budget committee meeting analyzing the Department of Human Services budget. SUE OGROCKI/ Associated Press
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