May 2, 2025

CCBHC E-Grants Program Update

Yesterday morning during our NYS Council Thursday morning call I discussed the status of the SAMHSA CCBHC E-Grant Program.  For those that were unable to attend the call, I have summarize (below) what we know at this juncture:

The proposed program eliminations embedded in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) budget memo that was leaked about 10 days ago would affect the CCBHC-E grant program but would not affect the CCBHC Medicaid demonstration as that is financed under different authorities (PAMA 2014, CARES 2020, BSCA 2022) that would require congressional action to modify.  The proposed cuts affect annual discretionary spending on grants, while the demo is a Medicaid program and therefore does not rely on annual discretionary spending.  Important Point:  Since FY 25 funding has already been appropriated, SAMHSA grantees entering their final year of funding this year are covered. Elimination of the grants would affect Cohorts 8 and 9, should this proposed change be enacted.

There is a long road before any proposed grant cuts could become law. The OMB memo is a “pre-decisional” document and therefore an indication of potential administration direction, but it is not yet final – and even if it were to be finalized in the President’s FY26 budget request, those suggested cuts would need congressional approval with a 60-vote majority in the Senate. There is a history of strong bipartisan support for these grants in Congress.

One other consideration is that the proposed elimination of the CCBHC-E grants was one of many, many proposed eliminations and reductions to SAMHSA (and other HHS) grants. And so it seems to me that this was more about meeting certain targeted budget reduction goals than any kind of targeting of CCBHCs in particular.