07/08/2021

Governor DeWine signs budget bill for fiscal years 2022-2023

On July 1, 2021, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed Ohio's Fiscal Year 2022-2023 operating budget into law. Amended Substitute House Bill 110, includes among other important issues, expanding investments into addressing substance use disorders and supporting Ohioans mental health and well-being, particularly those with severe mental illness. In addition to adequate funding for certain programs,

OPPA was a strong advocate in opposing several sections of the budget bill that would have a negative impact, including: a rebidding of the Medicaid managed care procurement process and eligibility requirements, the structure of ADAMH Board appointments, and language that allows health care practitioners to refuse services based on a moral, ethical, religious belief or principle.

The OPPA thanks Governor Mike DeWine, the Ohio General Assembly, OhioMHAS Director, Lori Criss and Ohio Medicaid Director, Maureen Corcoran for their continued commitment to provide funding and services for Ohioans with mental illness and/or substance use disorder.

Source: Governor DeWine News Release

Continuing RecoveryOhio

RecoveryOhio is Governor DeWine's initiative to address the crisis of substance use disorders and support the mental health and well-being of Ohio's residents. The goals of the initiative are to create a system to help make treatment available to Ohioans in need, provide support services for those in recovery and their families, and offer direction for the state's prevention and education efforts. These budget highlights underscore the comprehensive, collaborative work that is happening across Ohio's state agencies, boards and commissions. The investment from the Operating Budget will:

• Expand early identification programs, $4.5 million, to increase screening, provide early intervention, and connect people to treatment.
• Support forensic services, $3.5 million, to reduce the stress on hospital and criminal justice systems that interact with people with serious mental health issues and expand treatment capacity for those incarcerated with critical mental illnesses by providing access to medicine they need.
• Support programs to address disparities and disproportionate negative impacts on minority, poor and underserved populations, $3 million, including African Americans, Hispanics and Latinos, immigrant populations, refugee and traumatized groups, and other special communities, including those who are veterans, deaf, hard of hearing, disabled, and elderly.
• Continue the support of crisis services, $41 million, to meet the mental health and substance use disorders needs of children, youth, families, and adults.
• Expand access to Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Program, $29 million, for all Ohioans. The program provides and promotes tobacco control activities that support the three primary objectives of: 1) decreasing the initiation of tobacco use, including e-cigarettes and vaping products; 2) increasing tobacco cessation; and 3) protecting Ohioans from exposure to secondhand smoke. Furthermore, the "My Life, My Quit," the youth-centered quit program also seeks to educate Ohio youths of the risks of vaping/e-cigarette use.
• Fund expansion of Specialized Dockets, $10 million, with the new courts that seek to connect individuals with support services around mental health, substance use disorder, trauma care, and other services to better the individual's well-being. There are currently 183 specialized court dockets across 57 counties, serving more than 8,000 Ohioans, seeking to ensure public safety by identifying individuals with mental health needs involved in the criminal justice system and supporting them via diversion or linkage to trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and consumer-directed services and supports when appropriate.
• Fund emergency department diversion and harm reduction efforts, $3.25 million. Governor DeWine's RecoveryOhio Initiative will support the continuation of the Emergency Department Comprehensive Care Initiative to enhance Ohio's response to the addiction crisis by creating a comprehensive system of care for patients who present to emergency departments with addiction. In addition, the Governor's RecoveryOhio Initiative will support local health providers' harm reduction efforts for accidental drug overdose rates and deaths.

Mental Health Collaboration Expansions

People with serious mental health disorders often interact with multiple systems, including health care, behavioral health, human services, homeless services and criminal justice. Expanded investment in multi-system adult collaboration will help connect these individuals to needed care, recovery supports, stable housing, and positive community participation. This investment of over $11 million will strengthen cross-system collaboration and expand access to services and supports that promote continued stability and recovery outside of institutions for adults with serious mental illness.

Mental Health and Rehabilitation Partnership

Incarcerated Ohioans struggling with substance use disorders need access to reliable resources for recovery. Sixty-seven percent of incarcerated people have a moderate or severe need for recovery services. This investment will expand access to treatment within Ohio's correctional facilities, including counseling, peer support, technology, and medication. Recovery services provided during incarceration significantly increase the likelihood that these individuals become productive members of society when released. The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services partnership with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction is funded at $33.8 million in fiscal year 2022 and $34.4 million in fiscal year 2023.

Governor Line-item Vetoes Changing ADAMHS Board Composition and Appointment

The DeWine-Husted Administration supports empowering county commissioners to which this provision applies to establish new boards of alcohol, drug and mental health of varying sizes. However, this language, as written, limits the Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services' ability to appoint Ohioans with lived experience with behavioral health issues, family members and clinical experts to boards of alcohol, drug and mental health. The perspectives of said individuals are essential to create continuum of care that meet the needs of Ohioans struggling with mental illness and substance use disorders. The Administration would be supportive of legislation to allow certain counties to reduce the size of their boards of alcohol, drug, and mental health. However, any changes in the law that allows a reduction in the number of individuals on a board must maintain the current proportional number of members appointed by the Director of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and by the county commissioners. Therefore, the veto of this item is in the public interest.

Medicaid Services

The Ohio Department of Medicaid and its priority programs will continue to meet Ohioans' needs through an investment in the Operating Budget of $31 billion for fiscal year 2022 and $32.2 billion for fiscal year 2023. To read more about details, click here.

Medicaid Procurement

While Senate Republicans inserted language into their budget proposal a redo of the procurement process to determine who gets Ohio's $20 billion Medicaid managed care contracts, this language was stripped from the budget during the conference-committee negotiations.