Commissioners Notebook: July 2023

Published on July 14, 2023

Cabarrus County’s Department of Human Services (DHS) is requesting additional staff for the coming Medicaid expansion in North Carolina.

DHS director Karen Calhoun presented details on the expansion and data from the local Medicaid caseload to commissioners at the July 10 Work Session.

In March 2023, House Bill 76 was signed into law and allows North Carolina to provide Medicaid coverage to individuals that were not initially eligible due to income. The law also provided initial funding to support implementation.

Before the law can fully take effect, the state must pass its Fiscal Year 2024 budget.

DHS received two funding allocations totaling $700,852 for new positions. The department can also leverage an additional $525,639, for total funding of $1,226,491.

The money will be used to hire 30 full-time employees who will work with Medicaid cases.

According to Calhoun, the increase in staff will cover an anticipated 18,000 new Medicaid recipients. In Fiscal Year 2022-23, Cabarrus worked cases for 56,045 recipients.

The Medicaid expansion will cover all adults ages 19 to 64 who have incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level, including single adults with incomes of approximately $20,000 a year and parents with an annual income below $34,000 a year for a family of three.

Previously, Medicaid had a gap in coverage. Services were only provided for pregnant women, parents or caretaker relatives, those 65 and older, the blind and disabled and children up to the age of 18.

For more information on the Medicaid expansion and eligibility, call 704-920-1400.

Also, during the Work Session, Commissioners:

Heard from Cabarrus County Sheriff Van Shaw on an extension of the Governor’s Highway Safety Program grant. The funding expands the department’s traffic education and enforcement unit over the next several years. According to Shaw, the unit is providing prevention education in local high schools. This year, the Sheriff’s Office was awarded $125,874. A required county match of $53,946 will cover personnel costs for deputies, travel and training.

Heard from Environmental Management Director Kevin Grant on replacing the Cabarrus County landfill compactor. According to Grant, the solid waste management department has identified a compactor through Sun Machinery Company in Lexington, SC. “We need something new that gives us a better compaction rate and utilizes the airspace at the landfill more efficiently,” Grant told commissioners. The new compactor could increase the life of the landfill and provide more revenue, he added. The landfill compactor is included in the Capital Improvement Plan for Fiscal Year 2024. Commissioners are expected to vote on the purchase at the July Regular Meeting.

Heard provider presentations from management companies for the Cabarrus County Arena and Events Center. Presentations were made by ASM Global, which has operated the Arena since 2005, and Sports Facilitates Companies, which offers a more sports-focused approach. Commissioners are expected to hold further discussion on arena providers next month.

To watch the full July 10, 2023 Work Session, visit youtube.com/cabarruscounty.

The Regular Meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. on Monday (July 24) at the Cabarrus County Government Center in downtown Concord.

Residents can watch commissioner meetings on the Cabarrus County livestream at cabarruscounty.us, on YouTube (@CabarrusCounty) and on CabCo TV (Spectrum Cable Channel 22).

Stay updated on these and all County programs and projects by visiting cabarruscounty.us and following Cabarrus County at facebook.com/cabarruscounty and on Twitter @CabarrusCounty.