Department of Health Services - Behavioral Health Services' HB2003 Funding for Adults with Serious Mental Illness

In 2000, the Legislature made a one-time appropriation from the State’s tobacco litigation settlement account for services for adults with serious mental illness.  After a 2002 reduction by the Legislature and the addition of accumulated interest, the total allocation was $42.1 million.  The legislation required that the monies be used for housing, vocational rehabilitation, and other recovery support services.  The Department’s contractors developed new housing and related programs, established intensive case management teams, and provided greater vocational rehabilitation and recovery support services. 

The Auditor General examined the Department’s success in meeting agreed-upon performance standards, including reductions in symptoms, hospitalizations, arrests, and substance abuse, and increases in housing stability, safety, social adjustment, recovery, and vocational participation.  An analysis of consumers who participated in the new programs for at least 6 months generally showed improvement in their mental health functioning.  In addition, consumers increased their involvement in rehabilitation activities.  However, because some programs and some performance standards had incomplete data at the time of the audit, the Department should analyze those program outcomes.   In addition, the Department needs to determine why some programs’ consumers did not show improvement. The Department plans to conducts its own evaluation once all the monies are spent and could do the recommended analyses as part of that evaluation.