North Dakota's Social Service Redesign

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Last Updated March 23, 2020.

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The North Dakota Department of Human Services, the North Dakota Association of Counties and local social services leaders are working together with the support of Gov. Doug Burgum and state lawmakers to redesign social services to better serve North Dakotans and deliver effective services in a more efficient way. The goal is to offer quality human services statewide to North Dakotans that improve lives. This collaborative work began with the passage of Senate Bill 2206 study process approved by lawmakers in 2017 and continues with the passage of Senate Bill 2124 in 2019.

Going Forward:

  • All access points will remain, and in some cases expand to meet clients where they are.
  • Zonal organization and funding will lay the foundation for continuous improvement by removing silos.
    • Structure will shift service delivery organization from 47 primarily single-county units to no more than 19 multi-county units.
    • Funding will be made more flexible than rate-by-case formula to promote innovation.
  • This new organization and funding in zones promotes:
    • Collaboration: instead of rigid county boundaries to the delivery of service, organization in zones will enable collaboration to meet the needs of citizens and scale best practices
    • Specialization: new funding formula will enable specialization in areas like long-term care eligibility, subsidized adoption, or child care licensing
    • Utilization of capacity: shared workload will ensure that all parts of system are efficiency utilized
  • When efficiency is achieved, money will be redirected to direct client services

Transition Resources:

Frequently Asked Questions

Information:

Questions?

Please submit them to dhsredesign2124@nd.gov or call (701) 328-4933.