State seeks consultant to design first formula for infant learning program money

The Alaska Department of Health wants a contractor to design the state's first structured formula for dividing Infant Learning Program grants among 15 regional programs, which serve children from birth to age 3 who have developmental delays or disabilities.

The department's Division of Senior and Disabilities Services issued the request for proposals Oct. 7, with the contract capped at $200,000. The formula would guide how the state splits state and federal money starting with the fiscal 2029 grant cycle. The programs serve about 1,900 children a year, according to legislative records.

The state already weighs program size, enrollment, population, Medicaid enrollment and travel costs, but those factors "have not been developed into a structured funding formula," the solicitation says. It says smaller and rural programs face significant challenges tied to their geography, and that the state's own Infant Learning Program team does not have "the background and technical resources needed to design a formula of this complexity." The new formula must also account for referrals, months of service, geographic costs and how much each program could bring in from insurance and Medicaid.

The contract comes as the program is changing. Since July 1, a child qualifies with a 25% delay in one developmental area or a 20% delay in two or more areas, down from the previous 50% threshold, under a bill that became law without the governor's signature. Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed $3.02 million in general fund mental health money meant to expand the program, according to a June 24 Office of Management and Budget veto summary.

In a March 18 letter to the Senate Finance Committee about the bill's fiscal note, Amy Simpson, executive director of Programs for Infants and Children in Anchorage, wrote, "However, it does not include the necessary funding for grantees to deliver these services." She estimated the program needed $2.7 million to offset inflation and years of flat funding, beyond the $3.02 million tied to expanded eligibility, and projected 77% more children would qualify.

The solicitation lists the proposal deadline as Oct. 28 in its schedule but as Oct. 7, the day it was issued, in another section. The final formula is due Oct. 31, 2027.