HOUSE BILL REPORT

SSB 5598

BYSenate Committee on Human Services & Corrections (originally sponsored by Senators Vognild, Metcalf, Bailey, Conner, Moore, Bender, Wojahn, Rasmussen, Bauer and Kiskaddon)

Establishing a distribution formula for grants to counties under the community mental services act.

House Committe on Human Services

Majority Report:  Do pass.  (9)

      Signed by Representatives Brekke, Chair; Scott, Vice Chair; Leonard, Moyer, Padden, H. Sommers, Sutherland, Wang and Winsley.

House Staff:John B. Welsh, Jr.  (786-7133)

AS PASSED HOUSE APRIL 7, 1987

BACKGROUND:

The secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services is required to develop a biennial state mental health program that incorporates county biennial needs assessments and mental health service plans and state services for mentally ill adults and children.  County community mental health programs must provide access to treatment for county residents in the following priority:  acutely mentally ill, chronically mentally ill, and seriously disturbed.

Currently the department proposes in its biennial budget proposal the formulas used to distribute available resources to county authorities for mental health services to these priority groups.  Counties, however, have difficulty projecting the amount of funds they will receive according to the funding formulas.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Social and Health Services is required to establish a new distribution formula, taking into consideration the impact on counties of concentrations of mentally ill persons who are priorities for services.  These persons include those committed to state psychiatric hospitals, reside in urban areas and are found at border crossings.  The formula will include a projection of funding allocations for each county based on the mandated service priorities as well as children.  This funding formula is to be developed and submitted to the Senate and the House Ways and Means committees and Human Services committees by January 1, 1988.

Fiscal Note:      Attached.

Effective Date:The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect on July 1, 1987.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Lyle Quasim, Director, Mental Health Services, Department of Social and Health Services; Kurt Sharar, Washington Association of Counties; Carol Greenough, King County and Washington Association of County Human Services; Eleanor Owen, Director, Washington Advocates for the Mentally Ill; and Pat Thibaudeau, Washington Community Mental Health.

House Committee - Testified Against:      None Presented.

House Committee - Testimony For:    Funding formulas for counties providing mental health services should reflect the impacts of concentrations of acute and chronically mentally ill in those counties.  Urban areas and counties with state psychiatric hospitals are mostly affected with those demographic concentrations.  Counties should be able to predict with sufficient accuracy the funds made available by the state in order to adequately provide the mandated services to priority categories of the mentally ill.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      None Presented.