PSYCHIATRY AND HISTORY
Fall 2021 Issue |
|
|
|
Legislative Update
Special Session – American Rescue Plan Act Funding
By Mark Hickman
Commonwealth Strategy Group
The Governor called the General Assembly into a special session on August 2, 2021, to allocate approximately $4.3 billion in federal relief funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The legislature also used the special session, which adjourned August 10, to fill judicial vacancies on the newly expanded appeals court.
The ARPA funding must be used to support public health expenditures associated with COVID-19 and related negative impacts – including negative economic consequences and to support communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 – replace lost public sector revenue, provide premium pay for essential workers, and invest in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure. The Governor and Democratic leaders in the General Assembly released a joint statement that outlined their spending priorities, which include public health, small businesses, workers, public schools, and broadband.
ARPA funds are available over multiple years through December 31, 2024, which is midway through the state’s fiscal year ending in 2025. The funds cannot be used to offset net tax revenue reductions, payments into pension funds to reduce liabilities, programs or services not related to the pandemic, general infrastructure, unless otherwise allowed, contributions to rainy day or similar reserve/savings funds, new debt service, or investments that are disproportionate to the need. The federal dollars must be used for one-time rather than recurring costs.
During the special session, the General Assembly allocated $3.2 billion and set aside over $1 billion for future COVID-19 relief, including more than $300 million for programs beginning next summer. The remaining amount, almost $800 million, may be spent by the Governor only in the event of a public health emergency or to prevent another health emergency before the legislature convenes again. The General Assembly will need to approve all planned or unspent appropriations in the 2022 regular session.
Below are ARPA state funding items related to mental and behavioral health (bullets show specific items of interest to PSV and may not reflect the total category amount):
Mental Health: $113,850,000
Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS)
- $45 million – Direct care staff at state facilities
- $10 million – Community crisis system – mobile crisis, crisis receiving facilities, “Marcus” mental health alert system
- $5 million – Permanent supportive housing in Northern Virginia
- $1.65 million – Expand dementia pilot program for facility patient discharges
- $1.2 million – Purchase personal protective equipment at state facilities
Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS)
- $1 million – “Marcus” mental health Alert Training for law enforcement officers and dispatchers
Substance Use Disorder: $20,000,000
DBHDS
- $10 million – Grants for Virginia Association of Recovery Residences to serve individuals with substance use disorder
- $ 5 million – Expand community-based substance use disorder treatment
Department of Health (VDH)
- $5 million – Suicide and substance misuse prevention
In addition, language in the budget extends the 12.5% six-month rate increase for Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) from December 31, 2021, to June 30, 2022.
Temporary Detention Order Evaluator Workgroup
PSV has been an active stakeholder in a Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) workgroup on whether and how to expand the pool of TDO evaluators. The workgroup is a continuation of the one established last year, which made general recommendations to:
- Continue building out a comprehensive system of care
- Improve quality management of the civil commitment process
- Cut down on time spent doing lengthy paperwork and bed search processes
- Invest in enhanced bed registry tool
- Evaluate the impact of changes on the bed census
- Avoid conflict of interest on the part of the evaluator
This year’s workgroup focuses on implementation, including quality improvement, administrative process improvement, and two potential pathways for adding evaluators and training requirements in the Community Services Boards (CSBs) and hospital emergency departments, respectively.
While PSV believes it essential that psychiatrists be more involved in the TDO process and quality improvement in particular, we join with our emergency physician colleagues in not being interested in conducting evaluations given the complexity of the process. A subgroup agreed that division of responsibilities would not be practical and that the evaluators should remain within CSBs. However, further discussion with a larger group of stakeholders around possible ways to simplify the process, particularly some of its legal aspects, should be considered.
The workgroup’s final report is due to the General Assembly by December 1, 2021.
PsychMD PAC
PsychMD Political Action Committee (PAC) is our profession’s voice in the political process. Contributing to the PAC is investing in your profession, patients, and high-quality care from psychiatrists. A strong and robust PAC demonstrates PSV’s leadership and investment in the political and policy process.
Your support is crucial to our advocacy success! We must be proactive and prepared. Contributions to the PAC will help raise the visibility and profile of psychiatrists, connect us to new and returning legislators, and continue to build productive relationships with key General Assembly members.
Who does PsychMD PAC support? We support members of the legislature who care about issues affecting our profession and our patients. We support both parties and their leadership through individual legislator and caucus events, which allow our government relations team to interact directly with these policymakers.
Please make your contribution now.
PsychMD PAC helps raise our visibility among policymakers, connects us to new and returning legislators, and enables us to continue to build productive relationships with key General Assembly members and caucus leadership.
Given the tough issues and close elections we expect this year and next session, we ask that you contribute at least $250.
- Please contribute ONLINE or make your check payable to PsychMD PAC and mail it today to 118 N. 8th Street, Richmond, VA 23219.
Thank you to all our contributors this year!
(as of 8/18/2021)
Ahsan, Syed
Al-Mateen, Cheryl
Bick, Michael
Choudhary, Varun
Cieraszynski, Michal
Cunningham, Steve
Dorries, Olimpia
Harp, William
Hendrickson, John
Kaul, Adam
Kuchibhatia, Ajay
Lee, Meredith
Lindsay, Rebecca
Lozovsky, Janie
Markowitz, David
Mason, Joseph
Moideen, Sherin
Northwall, Karl W.
Patel, Ashvin
Peglow, Stephanie
Shemo, John
Trotter, Jerry
Urbach, John
Waller, Susan
YOUR NEWSLETTER IS NOW AVAILABLE ON YOUR SMARTPHONE AND TABLET!
JOIN PSV TODAY!
REGISTER TODAY!
PSV 2021
FALL MEETING
September 24-25, 2021
Hilton
Norfolk The Main
Norfolk, VA
APA Find a Psychiatrist
Are you accepting new patients?
Opt into APA’s Find A Psychiatrist database. To view the functionality or opt-in,
CLICK HERE
FYI: A link for this option has been added to the PSV website. Select the About button and then Find a Psychiatrist from the drop down.