State Budget Outcomes: Adding to the list

April 6, 2021

Below is our list of ever evolving state budget results.  Note:  We sent the first set of results on Saturday.  Everything else is new to our list.

Stand by as we continue to analyze the bills.

2021-2022 State Budget Highlights

  • 1% Human Services COLA is RESTORED
  • 1% Across the Board cuts to certain DoH Medicaid Programs (included Adult Health Homes) RESTORED
  • Opioid Settlement Fund:  Budget programs $32M of Opioid Settlement Funds (details to follow shortly) 
  • 5% State Aid cuts are RESTORED

          HCBS (FEDERAL) Enhanced FMAP funding:

  • OASAS:   Includes $11 million in appropriation authority 
  • OMH:       Includes $160 million in appropriation authority 

Other OASAS Funding: ○ Includes $50 million in federal block grant funding;  (NYS Council weighed in with OASAS several weeks ago on our priorities for these funds)○ Includes $5 million additional funding for jail-based substance use disorder treatment and transition services;○ Restores $2 million for Substance Abuse Prevention and Intervention Specialists;Adds a new proposal to extend the requirement related to the reporting of opioid overdose data by five years, through March 31, 2026

Other Office of Mental Health Funding:

  • Includes $50 million in federal block grant funding *NYS Council weighed in formally with OMH on this last week in preparation for the Office’s application to CMS to draw down federal funds)
  • Restores $4.5 million for Joseph P. Dwyer Program and includes an additional $495,000;
  • Restores $1.06 million for the Comprehensive Care Centers for Eating Disorders;
  • Includes $1 million for Crisis Intervention Teams,
  • Includes $1 million for suicide prevention for high-risk populations;
  • The Legislature concurs with the Executive proposal to extend for three years the community mental health support and workforce reinvestment program which requires OMH to reinvest savings from inpatient bed closures into community mental health services, but authorizes that funds from this year do not got to Reinvestment
  • Public hospital indigent care pool / hospital charity care funding restored
  • NYC Article VI / public health funding restored
  • Essential Plan premiums eliminated, including for dental and vision (which were added by both Houses)
  • Delays implementation of Medicaid Pharmacy Benefit carve out 2 years to 4/1/23
  • Rejects Proposed Changes to Prescriber Prevails
  • Includes “skinny” telehealth language that changes existing public health law provisions around definition of distant site and originating sites.  Adds certified peer recovery advocate services and peer providers credentialed by OASAS and peers certified or credentialed by OMH as telehealth providers.
  • Rejects creation of standards for a new ‘addiction professionals’ title (Note: This was a proposal to create a new title – does not threaten any existing OASAS titles or credentialed staff ) 
  • Includes proposal on Crisis Stabilization Centers
  • Rejects creation of a new Office of Addiction and Mental Health Services
  • Rejects Integrated Licensure proposal
  • Extends Medicaid Global Cap through 2022-23 
  • Rejects prescriber prevails changes (as proposed by Governor)
  • Eliminates Basic Health Program premium for those living at or below 200% of FPL
  • Extends ability for OMH & OPWDD Facility Directors to serve as representative payee for residents through 6/30/24
  • Extends ability for OMH & OPWDD to appoint temporary operators through 3/31/22
  • Extends specialized inpatient psychiatric units demonstration through 3/31/24 and includes a requirement for final reports on demo
  • Continues Community Reinvestment through 3/31/24 HOWEVER Includes language stating that OMH shall not be required to allocate funding for FY 2021-22, expiring 3/31/22.
  • Allows OMH to establish a schedule of fees for process applications for the issuance of operating certificates.
  • Includes language requiring a Medicaid Managed Care VBP regional demonstration program in one of the following regions: Western, Central, Southern Tier or Capital Region.
  • Includes language to provide residential health care for children with medical fragility, as defined in transition to young adults and for young adults.
  • Establishes an insurance program under NYSDOH for subsidization of extended post-partum insurance coverage to eligible individuals through twelve months post-partum. Provides postpartum coverage through subsidized silver qualified health plans through the health insurance marketplace, but excludes undocumented women and does not eliminate some cost-sharing, and doesn’t go into effect until next fiscal year