[NYAPRS Enews] Many Predict Passage of NYS Mental Hygiene Budget Today

[Harvey Rosenthal]

NYAPRS Note: Last week at an Albany news conference organized by MHANYS,
NYAPRS and ACL, we highlighted the impending crisis faced by the state's
mental health safety net should the Legislature fail to approve the OMH
budget for the new fiscal year that began last April and ends next Mark.


It now appears likely that funding for community mental health programs
will not run out after all, with the expected passage of today's
emergency bill, which "contains not only appropriations for a week of
government operations, but also a portion of Mr. Paterson's executive
budget proposal for the year (NY Times)."  

See news excerpt below, along with the budget documents that were
released last Friday by the Administration. Included are slowdowns in
residential development and PROS; the PROS cut is not expected to delay
any planned conversions to PROS in the coming months. 

We'll have more details later today about the terms of the agreement
that was reached late yesterday by the Administration and the
Legislature on the amount of personal/SSA funds state facilities can
claim for the cost of 'care and treatment.' Stay tuned...it is Albany
after all!

 

Shutdown In Albany Is Not Seen As Likely

Senate Democrats Expect Emergency Bill To Pass

by Tom Precious  Buffalo News June 14, 2010

ALBANY - Senate Democrats insisted Sunday that they will have enough
votes to pass an emergency appropriations bill today to keep the state
government from closing at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

But the Bronx Democratic senator who insisted all last week that he will
not vote for the measure - forcing Democrats to rely on reluctant
Republicans to cross the aisle - maintained his commitment Sunday night.

"I told them I'm voting no. I'm not voting for it," Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr.
said in a phone interview. "Maybe they have a Republican. I'm not voting
for more cuts."

But Republicans do not appear to be ready to shut down the government -
not with this latest emergency bill that does include a number of
spending cuts. Senate sources say that at least one Republican and
possibly several are poised to back the emergency bill, thereby standing
down the closure threat.

The new emergency bill - the 11th since the state began its fiscal year
April 1 without a 2010 budget in place - contains more than $300 million
in reductions to various mental health and human services programs.....

 

Mental Hygiene Actions 

 

The emergency bill reflects $151 million in net State savings actions
for the Mental Hygiene agencies. 

 

Savings will be achieved by: 

*         placing aggressive cost controls on all State agency
operations; 

*         maximizing payments from third-party payers; 

*         reforming and restructuring State and local programs and
administrative practices; 

*         reducing adult inpatient psychiatric center capacity; and 

*         delaying community bed development. 

*         forestalling a cost-of-living reduction that would otherwise
occur based on the methodology in current law. 

 

The bill also clarifies that State Facility Directors who act as
federally-appointed representative payees may continue to use funds for
the cost of a resident's care and treatment consistent with federal law
and regulations. This clarification is necessary to ensure that existing
appropriations and funding are sufficient to provide for the care and
treatment of individuals served in State facilities. 

 

The bill also extends the expiration date of an exemption from licensure
requirements for social workers and certain other professionals through
March 31, 2011, to ensure that existing appropriations and funding are
sufficient to pay the salaries of employees currently performing such
functions.

 

NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH)

OMH Local Actions   Net Savings: $27 million

*         Enhance audit efforts, including recovery of over payments
from third party payers and exempt income revenue in excess of operating
costs.

*         Change billing practices by carving out Medicaid prescription
drug costs from the operating costs of residential treatment facilities.


*         Slowdown growth for new bed development ($3M) and for the
PRO's program ($2M). 

A portion of the savings is being reinvested in a multi-year plan for
adult home residents with mental illness.

 

OMH State Operations Efficiencies. Net Savings: $43 million 

*         Reducing non-critical staff via attrition

*         Converting certain information technology consultant staff to
less costly State employees

*         Reducing overtime and the use of stand-by/on-call shifts; 

*         Increasing the use of alternative work schedules; 

*         Delaying the "unmet needs" study to October 2011; and, 

*         Eliminating all non-essential non-personal service spending. 

 

OMH Inpatient Restructuring  Net Savings: $9 million

*         Eight psychiatric center wards will be closed at various
facilities, reducing State-operated inpatient capacity by approximately
5 percent. The resources associated with closing six wards will be used
to support less costly and more appropriate community programs, and two
wards will be replaced with Transitional Placement Program beds, a less
staff intensive outpatient model designed to support the transition of
patients to community care. 

 

OMH Forensic/SOMTA Reforms   Net Savings: $11 million

*         The census for civilly confined sexual offenders is projected
not to exceed 230 individuals in SFY 2010-11. As a result, inpatient
capacity for sexual offenders at Manhattan Psychiatric Center will no
longer be required. 

*         The bill also reflects efforts to encourage courts to use
video-conferencing to reduce transportation, overtime, and security
costs

 

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