Content about Mental Health Services

In what will likely be a pivotal moment in this year’s budget process, Governor Jerry Brown is scheduled to release his revisions and updated revenue and spending numbers to his proposed 2012-2013 State Budget on May 14th that will likely show the budget shortfall growing worse and hoped for increased revenue numbers falling short of expectations.

Also today, May 7th from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM, is a public stakeholder meeting and conference call hosted by the Department of Health Care Services on the Reauthorization of AB 1629 dealing with Medicaid funded “quality assurance fees” and the method for setting rates for certain nursing homes.  The issue has major impact on the State budget – and people with disabilities and seniors who reside and the people who work in free-standing skilled nursing facilities.

Finally, today, is a hearing by the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services focused on three issues under the Department of Mental Health: Caregiver resource centers, community treatment facilities and the California Youth Empowerment Network.

The Department of Health Care Services, the state agency that oversees California's Medicaid program (called "Medi-Cal)" released a document called a "Request for Solutions" (RFS), that will be used to select sites to be included in a demonstration project proposal that the Brown Administration will submit for approval to the federal government to shift possibly hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities and seniors who are eligible for both Medicare and Medi-Cal - known as "dual eligibles" into managed care types of healthcare delivery.  The deadline for applicants to respond to the "Request for Solutions" is February 24, 2012.

As reported earlier today, the Assembly and State Senate Budget Subcommittees have scheduled public hearings that begin on May 23rd and end on May 27th to review Governor Brown’s new proposed budget revisions including those impacting education, health and human services.  It appears the budget subcommittees are targeting to complete their work by Friday May 27th and then possibly have the Budget Conference Committee resolve any different actions.

The crucial revenue part of the Governor’s plan remains to be voted on – still lacking the needed 2 Republican votes in each house.  Until the Legislature is able to take action on that crucial part of the Governor’s budget, the on-going budget crisis will continue unresolved with the prospect of more enormous sweeping reductions.

The Budget Conference Committee met just under two hours Monday afternoon from about 3:15 PM to just before 5 PM focusing only on the Governor’s proposal to transfer, or “realign” certain state services to the counties, including certain public safety and mental health community-based services.  This report also includes a CDCAN compiled summary of the Governor's proposals and previous actions by the Assembly and state Senate on Adult Day Health Care, Multipurpose Senior Services Program and In-Home Supportive Services.

In an extraordinarily fast paced process to meet the Governor's March deadline, both legislative budget committees are poised to take final action on most of Governor Brown's budget proposals by the end of this week.  Both budget committees intend to “close out” (take final action) on most of the Governor’s proposals by Friday - and moving the process into the next phase sometime early next week

If enacted, these cuts will directly impact millions of Californians including millions with disabilities, low income, mental health needs, the blind, veterans.  Direct impact on families, community organizations, facilities and workers.

The Senate Budget Subcommittee #3 on Health and Human Services released its budget hearing schedule late this afternoon with its first hearing covering the Governor’s major proposed reductions to the Medi-Cal and Healthy Families program scheduled for January 26th at 10:00 AM at the State Capitol in Room 4202.