NYAPRS First Look: Senate Budget Proposal Makes Major Changes to Executive Budget
The NYS Senate released its own budget proposal tonight that makes numerous changes to the Governor’s proposals, including halting OMH state hospital bed closures, making the supported housing rent increase statewide, bringing Medicaid housing expansion upstate and limiting the Executive’s authority to implement various Medicaid Redesign initiatives by requiring a host of written reports to the Legislature.
The following summary is taken from the Senate’s own summary and may not correspond to what’s actually in the currently unreleased language from the actual Senate budget bills. Stay tuned for more details.
Human Service Workforce COLA
- The Senate supports a partial Human Services Cost of Living Adjustment and a Medicaid Trend Factor (it’s not clear what a ‘partial’ COLA means…..perhaps less than the 2% proposed by the Assembly).
OMH State Hospital Beds/Facility Reductions and Reinvestment
- The Senate rejects the proposed closure of 388 state hospital beds by restoring $30.3 million. This would appear to de-fund the annualized $44 million in OMH Reinvestment that the Governor’s budget had projected of which about 2/3 are structured to boost the nonprofit sector.
- The Senate advances legislation that is not current available to “address the proposed closure, merger, and consolidation of State-operated psychiatric centers and/or beds” and one that relates to the Community Mental Health Support and Workforce Reinvestment Program.
OMH Housing
- The Senate takes the Governor’s downstate supported housing rent stipend hike and makes it statewide
- The Senate ‘encourages’ OMH to develop a housing plan to address unmet need
Medicaid Housing
- The Senate funds 4 demonstration programs in (upstate) counties with populations less than two million.
Medicaid Waiver
- Provides three distinct appropriations, totaling $1.6 billion, for each component of the MRT Waiver;
- Establishes a Review Council that makes recommendations on proposed Waiver expenditures;
- Requires an equitable statewide distribution of 1115 Waiver funds to the extent possible; and
- Requires legislative approval to spend Waiver funds.
- Requires DOH to award contracts to implement the Medicaid Waiver initiatives through competitive bids, and to report to the Legislature within 30 days of when such contracts are awarded, and to provide an annual report demonstrating timely payments.
Health Homes
- The Senate appears to reject the proposed Health Homes Plus program and reallocates the $2.5 million elsewhere
- It authorizes $5 million in health home infrastructure grants to establish linkages between health homes and the criminal justice system;
- Requires DOH submit a detailed annual report to the Legislature about how health home funds are distributed for member engagement, workforce training, and implementation of health information technology systems
- Requires DOH to submit a spending plan to the Legislature about how Health Home funds for infrastructure, training, and other preparations for the transition of behavioral health services to Medicaid managed care 30 days prior to the allocation of funds;
Reinvestment from Closure/Reductions in Local Hospital Inpatient Psychiatric Services
- Requires DOH to submit a written plan to the Legislature 30 days before funds derived from local behavioral health inpatient reduction are reinvested into the community.
Reinvestment of Savings from Moving Behavioral Health Services into Managed Care
- Requires DOH to submit a written plan to the Legislature 30 days before savings from moving behavioral health services into managed care are distributed.
Physical and Behavioral Healthcare Integration
- Requires regulations for the inclusion of OASAS services into integrated mental health and physical health service designs within primary care settings with an annual report to the Legislature, for review in 2017.
DSRIP
- Allows state agencies more flexibility to allow providers participating under the Delivery System Reform Incentive Payments (DSRIP) program to avoid duplicative requirements by requiring a detailed annual written report to the Legislature.
Adult Homes
- Require adult care facilities to conduct a criminal history record check of prospective direct care employees
Restores Prescriber Prevails
- for all drug classes under managed care and provides $1.1 million;
Senate Mental Health Member Items
- $2.2 million for veteran peer to peer pilot programs;
- $2 million for the Binghamton Hospital Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program;
- $1.5 million for mental health research;
- $1 million for an independent study on the impact of expanded community services;
- $300,000 for FarmNet;
- $250,000 for the Sullivan County Peer Empowerment/Recovery Center;
- $185,000 for the Therapuetic Equestrian Center;
- $160,000 for the South Fork Health Proposal;
- $100,000 for the Mental Health Association in New York State; and
- $50,000 for Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc.