Mental Health, Office of

Note: Most recent estimates as of 12/16/08.

Mission

The Office of Mental Health’s (OMH) mission is to promote the mental health of all New Yorkers, with a particular focus on providing hope and recovery for adults and children with serious mental illness or emotional disturbances.

Budget Highlights

The Executive Budget recommends $3.8 billion All Funds ($557 million General Fund; $3.2 billion Other funds) for the Office of Mental Health (OMH). This is a net increase of $35 million (1.0 percent). The increase is largely attributable to capital projects (+$130 million) offset by lower local assistance (-$96 million).

OMH continues to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of its operations and the network of non-profit providers it supports, and seeks areas to reform or restructure activities based on a review of its core mission. Major Budget actions to promote cost efficiency and rationalize reimbursement include:

• Reducing Cost of Living (COLA) Adjustments: The recommendation generates savings by reducing the 2008-09 Human Services COLA from 3.2 percent to 2.2 percent prospectively effective January 1, 2009 (saving $9.5 million). Additionally the Executive Budget recommends no COLA in 2009-10, saving an estimated $56.5 million. To maintain the long term commitment to this program, a COLA is still planned for 2010-11 and 2011-12, and the Budget recommends extending the COLA for a third year in 2012-13;

• Aid to Localities Efficiencies: OMH will restructure a variety of programs, and focus resources to emerging priorities for net savings of $24 million. Specifically, OMH will increase emphasis on managing Local Assistance spending including freezing the Community Residential Pipeline by halting new planned construction while maintaining the State’s commitment to New York/New York III bed development ($6 million savings). Additionally, OMH will manage new program development resulting in an estimated $20.8 million savings from projected 2009-10 costs with a focus on reducing and restructuring low and medium priorities and restructuring and deferring higher priorities, based on OMH’s review of its core mission. OMH will also encourage county administrative efficiencies ($1.0 million) that could be recouped by maximizing Federal aid. Also, OMH will renew efforts to ensure that all appropriate third-party revenue standards for providers are maintained, and recover excess State funds associated with State aid letters and exempt income revenue in excess of operating funds, saving an estimated $8.5 million from 2009-10 projected costs;

• Continuation of Restructuring Efforts: OMH will continue implementing the Ambulatory Care restructuring started in 2008-09, which will rationalize the reimbursement of providers of mental health clinical services. Additionally, OMH is undergoing a restructuring of the continuing day treatment program to reform service requirements and focus on best practices modalities, and will establish a peer support center to promote and improve access to peer-run organizations. Also, a new $6 million Federal grant is designed to improve employment opportunities for individuals with mental illness;

• Children’s Plan: OMH, working with the other 8 child-serving State agencies, will implement a comprehensive Children’s Plan to improve access to services and support best practices models of successful collaboration. The Children’s Plan implements a series of 11 proposals, including: expanding youth involvement in service delivery; enhancing parent education; improving the identification and treatment of emotional disturbances in children; and increasing the integration of service systems;

• State Operations Ward Closures and Efficiencies: OMH will close a total of 450 adult inpatient beds (11 percent of capacity), shifting the staffing resources associated with 150 beds to less costly and more appropriate community programs, and converting 300 adult inpatient beds to a less staffing intensive outpatient residential level of care, called the "Transitional Placement Program" which would provide supports to transition individuals to community care, saving an estimated $6.1 million in 2009-10 and reducing FTEs by 153. Additionally, aggressive controls on hiring and non-personal service costs will save another $10.1 million;

• Sex Offender Management Treatment Act (SOMTA) Restructuring: OMH will reduce staffing levels from its current staffing model (2.0:1 staffing ratio) to standards used in civil confinement programs in other states (1.5:1), reducing costs from $225,000 per bed annually to $175,000 (22 percent reduction). The recommendation also lowers costs by allowing respondents to remain in DOCS custody during the pendency of court proceedings; and permits video-teleconferencing of certain judicial hearings to reduce transportation and staffing costs. Combined, these efforts will generate $11.7 million of savings in 2009-10 and reduce FTEs by 179; and

• Forensic Services: The Executive Budget recommends a 3 year delay in the implementation of the Special Housing Units bill while an assessment of the impacts/effectiveness of the recently added programs serving this population, including enhanced counseling, special treatment beds, and a new Residential Mental Health Unit, is conducted, saving $8.6 million in 2009-10 and reducing planned FTEs by 86; and $2.8 million of savings from slower than expected spending for other forensic services.

2009-10 Executive Budget — Agency Presentation
Mental Health, Office of (PDF)