The November Caseload Forecast shows a slight increase in Washington’s budget. 

Washington’s Economic and Revenue Forecast Council indicates collections over the past month have increased by $18.3 million. While not a game changer, this was unexpected good news.

The savings identified in the report came in the form of caseloads for nursing homes and home care, which are attributed to savings from lower-than-predicted numbers of people getting care.

The additional revenue reduces the $55 million increase in the state budget deficit because of the passage of I-1107 which repealed taxes on pop, bottled water, and candy. The revenue reduces the state’s shortfall to approximately $40 million which is likely to be addressed in a supplemental budget instead of another across-the-board cut.

Despite the good news, the overall forecast was mixed. Washington faces approximately $15 million in higher-than-budgeted costs for the state’s Disability Lifeline program. In addition, though the number of children enrolled in public schools decreased slightly the potential savings from this were erased by increases in special-education and bilingual education enrollments. Finally, enrollments are climbing much higher than anticipated in Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF).

In response state agencies are looking at actions to remedy these increases in the long-term.