On Sunday, February 16, 2020, the money committees of the House of Delegates and the Senate announced their proposed amendments to the Governor’s proposed budget. The Governor’s budget contained some valuable investments in mental health services as well as commitments to assist in compliance with the state’s settlement agreement with the Department of Justice to improve community services for people with developmental disabilities.
Both the House and the Senate committees are proposing changes and enhancements to the Governor’s budget. The committee proposals will now be debated and voted on by the full House and the full Senate. Disagreements between the two will be resolved by a committee of conference, with six members from the House and six members from the Senate.
In our report below, the number in parentheses refers, first, to the “item” or section of the governor’s budget that is being amended, followed by the number of the amendment being proposed. So that “313 -2h,” for example, refers to section 313 of the Governor’s budget, and is the 2nd House amendment to that section.
Some of the House amendments we are watching:
- Adds approximately $40 million dollars a year, in state and federal funds, to allow for an increase in provider rates in the Medicaid waiver program (313-2h)
- Establishes a work group to review the regulations regarding mental health peer recovery services (313-13h)
- Increases the reimbursement rate for children’s psychiatric residential treatment programs (313-15h)
- Adjusts the special earnings allowance, which allows waiver recipients to earn a certain amount of money without impacting their contribution for services (313-23h)
- Removes the Governor’s request to operate 28 additional beds at Catawba State Hospital (326 2h)
Some of the Senate amendments we are watching:
- Adds $50 million in the first year and $80 million in the second year, in state and federal funds, to allow for an increase in provider rates in the Medicaid waiver program (313-7s)
- Adds $1.5 million to increase brain injury related services (339-1s)
- Directs DMAS and DBHDS to seek an experimental Medicaid waiver (1115) to provide services for people with serious mental illness (313 -33s)
- Prohibits the state from moving any additional populations into managed care (313-39s)
- Adds 500 DD waiver slots in 2022 (313-3s)
- Removes the Governor’s request to add 56 beds to Catawaba State Hospital
- Allows the state to sell the property formerly occupied by Southwestern Virginia Training Center (320-7s)
- Tasks the Department of Behavioral Health with reporting to the legislature on the status of mental health courts in Virginia (320-13s)
- Allots $300,000 to provide transportation for individuals in state hospitals who require transportation to their homes after discharge (321-2s)
- Adds enough funding for an additional 1000 beds in Permanent Supportive Housing (322-1s)
- Adds $850,000 to the Centers for Independent Living (339-2s)
- Adds $1,000,000 to vocational rehabilitation services (339-3s)
The proposed amendments will be debated in their chamber of origin on Thursday, February 20. They will then debate the amendments of the other chamber on Tuesday, February 25, 2020. The bills will then go to a committee of conference to resolve the remaining differences.
We are available to educate policymakers about the impact of their decisions on the lives of people with disabilities. The mission of the disAbility Law Center of Virginia is to advance independence, choice and self-determination; protect legal, human and civil rights; and eliminate abuse, neglect and discrimination of people with disabilities through zealous and uncompromising legal advocacy and representation.