By TONY GUERRERO
Hays Post
U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Great Bend, visited Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas to learn more about their work supporting Kansans with disabilities in finding employment.
LaVonne Giess, DSNWK manager of employment, and Jerry Michaud, DSNWK president, led Marshall throughout the Employment Connections facility in Hays.
Employment Connections helps individuals build job skills and find employment, with services tailored based on the individual, their guardian, their support team and available funding.
Marshall greeted several workers who were crafting and repurposing donated materials into items to be sold through Custom Creations, 1107 Main St.
Giess said about seven workers rotate through the program Monday through Friday at varying times.
"Together, they decide what they're going to do with [donated items], what color they're going to paint it and also come up with other little projects," Giess said.
The program aims to offer a wide range of work sites and settings, giving individuals of all abilities the opportunity to work.
Michaud briefed Marshall on the scope of DSNWK’s services, what the organization provides and how it operates, including support from federal housing grants.
"All of our primary funding for services comes through the Medicaid program under what they call the home and community-based services waiver," Michaud said. "It's the federal and state combination that allows us to have the resources to pay staff and do the work in this board."
Michaud told Marshall federal regulations pose challenges for DSNWK, describing some requirements as “puzzling.”
Michaud said the Home and Community-Based Services settings rule calls for smaller living arrangements, for about three people, which requires additional staff and resources.
"In the absence of the resources to do it, we're in a predicament where we can't meet the requirements that we're being expected to meet," he said.
Michaud said DSNWK serves multiple roles in the region, providing direct services and helping individuals navigate Medicaid, but federal rules require those functions to be separated to avoid conflicts of interest.
Michaud told Marshall there is no evidence of conflicts of interest at DSNWK or in its services, but added that potential conflicts exist in any situation.
"We are facing in a couple of years a transition where organizations like us cannot provide targeted case management and services together because there's the potential for conflict," he said.
Marshall responded, "One size doesn't fit all. Maybe in urban America, that's more easily to create a conflict of interest than. There's simply nobody else to do it."
"The hands of the clock move slowly in DC, but I'll try to push back," Marshall said.
Department of Homeland Security shutdown
Hays Post also asked Roger Marshall about the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown, which he called frustrating. It is one of the longest partial shutdowns in U.S. history.
"We can't get seven Democrats to come across the aisle and fund border security and border patrol," he said.
"What the Senate passed was funding for everything in DHS, except for ICE and border patrol, which was sent to the House, and they rejected that. And you know, I agree with the House, we would like to fund all of it together, but the Democrats are not interested in funding DHS. Their goal is to shut down ICE," Marshall said.
He said the Trump administration is using previously allocated funds to pay TSA workers, and Republicans might pursue funding through reconciliation.
Marshall said Kansans could feel the impact of airport disruptions mainly through major connecting hubs nationwide, as state airports have not seen significant issues.