Nevada’s Child Welfare Block Grant Has Not Increased in 14 Years
Nevada has not increased its child welfare block grant since 2012. Clark County, the state’s most populous county, has operated on roughly $42 million in annual state block grant funding every year since then, with no adjustment for inflation.
If the state had kept pace with inflation, that figure would now be $63.1 million. That is a $21 million gap, or about 48 percent more than counties currently receive.
“We know we can’t walk into the Legislature and say we need a 48% increase.”
Joanna Jacob, Government Affairs Manager, Clark County, July 1, 2026
Jacob made clear the number wasn’t a budget request. It was an illustration of how far funding has fallen behind.
$590 Million in Federal Cuts Will Land on a Already-Strained System
The frozen grant alone would be a serious problem. Nevada is now facing it alongside the Medicaid cuts authorized by H.R. 1, the federal tax and spending bill Congress passed in July 2025. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates Nevada will lose approximately $590 million in annual federal funding for the next 10 years.
Most of those cuts take effect in 2027.
Nevada is one of only two states, with Wisconsin, that uses a state-county hybrid model for child welfare administration. Clark and Washoe counties operate their own systems. The 15 rural counties are served directly by the state’s Division of Child and Family Services. That structure means Clark and Washoe are especially dependent on the block grant, since they bear the administrative costs that in most states fall to the state alone.
Democratic State Sen. Fabian Doñate acknowledged the collision course at a July 1, 2026 interim committee hearing on Health and Human Services.
“All of us know that H.R. 1 is coming, and there’s not enough money for everyone.”
State Sen. Fabian Doñate (D-Nevada), interim Health and Human Services committee hearing, July 1, 2026
Lawmakers and county officials are now weighing policy recommendations ahead of the 2027 Nevada Legislative Session, including a full revamp of how the state funds its three child welfare agencies.
What You Can Do Now
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Contact Nevada’s interim Health and Human Services committee directly. The committee received this briefing and is collecting input before the 2027 session. Email the Nevada Legislature at leg.state.nv.us/ContactLegislature and tell them to update the child welfare block grant formula before the 2027 session opens.
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Call your Nevada state senator or assembly member at (775) 684-6800 and ask them to cosponsor a bill adjusting the block grant for inflation. The last update was in 2011. Tell them the 14-year freeze must end before federal cuts compound the damage.
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Contact Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo’s office at (775) 684-5670 and ask him to include a block grant inflation adjustment in his 2027 executive budget proposal. Budget requests due before the session begin shape what gets funded.
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If you work in Nevada child welfare, contact Clark County’s government affairs office to submit public testimony for the 2027 session. Jacob’s office is building the case for the Legislature. Personal accounts from caseworkers and families carry weight in committee hearings.