Budget Briefing Book Round Up

January 18, 2022

The following information is our end of the day round up of excerpts from the FY2023 Budget Briefing Book that (as of 6:30 pm) is the only budget-related document available to the public.  We don’t like to create these lists ahead of the release of actual budget documents that reflect the fiscal realities of the Governor’s proposals. For example, while we have confirmed that the Human Services COLA proposal is ‘expansive’ meaning that certain children’s services and other Programs and Services that were previously excluded from the COLA in FY 2022 are included in the proposal for FY 2023, we still do not know if the Governor is proposing to extend the expiring statute beyond its’ current 3/31/2022 sunset, or if it is a one year COLA proposal.  And if it is extended, we don’t know whether the new statute continues to tie future increases to actual inflation.  The devil is in the details.

Having said this, here’s a list of FY 2023 Executive Budget Book proposals (below).  We will have more for you once we have reviewed actual budget bills:

OMH

  • $104 million over two years to increase support for existing residential programs
  • $65 million in FY23 and $39 million in FY24 for existing community-based residential programs
  • Legislation to be proposed that extends property pass-through provisions to include OMH’s supported housing
  • $35 million to support the creation of 988, increasing to $60 million in FY’24
  • $10 million to fund an expansion of Home-Based Crisis Intervention (HBCI)
  • $7.7 million to expand the Joseph P. Dwyer Program statewide
  • $7.5 million investment in Residential Treatment Facilities for children
  • Establish Safe Options Support Teams:  OMH will partner with NYC to establish 20 new teams of mental health professionals performing Critical Time Intervention
  • Rate Adjustments for rehabilitative services including clinics, expanding community-based services for children and families, enhancing and expanding ACT, supporting the PROS redesign

OASAS
The OASAS budget provides an increase of $402 million (56%) in operating and capital support

  • $200 million in Opioid Stewardship Investments (funds generated by the tax on opioid manufacturers). To be used to expand harm reduction at both OASAS and DOH, expand access to naloxone and buprenorphine, and to implement a program to help uninsured and underinsured New Yorkers receive treatment and medication. 
  • 10% rate adjustment for residential addiction treatment services 
  • Expand mobile MAT services 
  • Create the Division of Harm Reduction within OASAS

More on $402M for OASAS: 

The Executive Budget provides an increase of $402 million in operating and capital support for OASAS to enhance prevention, treatment and recovery programs targeted toward addiction services, residential service opportunities, and primary prevention activities consistent with state opioid settlement agreements.  Invests more than $100 million in new resources from the Opioid Stewardship Tax and litigation settlements with pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors. Of these funds, $113 million will pass through the State to local municipalities, consistent with settlement agreements.

Health/Medicaid

  • All in, $10 billion investment in health care to rebuild the healthcare workforce, including $1 billion in bonuses.  
  • Increased Child Health Plus premiums to expand children’s care $4M and $11M for behavioral healthcare 
  • Creation of a new Pharmacy Benefits Bureau in DFS
  • $150M for telehealth investments
  • $2.4B for health care capital infrastructure
  • $20M for enhanced pregnancy/postpartum care including expanding Medicaid postpartum
  • 1% increase in provider reimbursement rates (DOH)
  • $1 billion in continued state investments in health care transformation including $25M for community providers and $25M for behavioral health
  • Restructure Medicaid global spending cap to base on 5 year rolling average of healthcare spending projections by CMS
  • $1.6 billion in upgrades for health care facilities

OASAS and OMH:

  • NYS COUNCIL ACHIEVEMENT:  OMH and OASAS Only:  $111M to OMH and OASAS through recoupment from MMC plans for BH services to go to providers for rate increases for community based providers. NOTE:  $111M is state share only.  When federalized (because this is Medicaid) the total recoupment grosses to $222M for OMH and OASAS.
  • $40.7M for minimum wage support for OPWDD, OMH and OASAS workforce
  • $1.2B for health care/mental hygiene worker bonuses of up to $3,000 each full time worker. The State will provide frontline healthcare workers a bonus payment of up to $3,000 to incentivize the recruitment and retention of qualified frontline healthcare and direct support professionals. The amount of the bonus will be based on hours worked and length of time in service. Direct Care State employees will also receive bonuses. The total State cost is estimated at $1.2 billion ($1.07 billion for non-State employees; $120 million for State employees).