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Contact: William Emmet, 703-739-9333
President's FY 2006 Budget at a Glance
Washington, DC (Feb. 8, 2005)—Below is a preliminary analysis of the Administration’s
proposed funding for some key programs that are important to Americans with
mental illnesses.
The Good
Millions in Spending Requested for Youth Suicide Prevention
The President's budget calls for $11.5 million in funding to implement the
Garrett Lee Smith Act, legislation Congress adopted last year to reduce the
number of young people who commit suicide. Suicide is the third leading cause
of death among young Americans.
Administration Invests Significant Resources to End Chronic Homelessness
The Administration proposes to quadruple funding (to $200 million) for the
Samaritan Housing Initiative above the FY 2005 request and increase total
anti-homelessness assistance to $1.4 billion (a 16% increase).
Funds for State Incentive Grants (SIGs) Increased
The budget includes a $6 million increase in the State Incentive Grants for
Transformation (SIGs) above what Congress approved last year for the grants.
The budget request for SIGs, intended to help states shore up the tattered
safety net for people with mental illnesses, is $18 million less than the
President proposed last year.
Funds Maintained for Technical Assistance Centers Previously Selected for
Elimination
The Administration’s budget maintains funding (roughly $2 million) for
consumer technical assistance centers – which support self-help, peer-to-peer
support, and promote the principles of community integration – after
proposing eliminations of the centers in previous budget proposals.
Administration Earmarks Dollars for New Prisoner Reentry Initiatives
The President's budget earmarks $75 million for a new prisoner re-entry initiative,
$15 million of which would go to the Department of Justice, with the remainder
of which would going to the Department of Labor and the Department of Housing
and Urban Development. It is unclear how much the initiative will be do to
arrest the cycle of recidivism among ex-offenders with mental illnesses.
The Bad and the Ugly
Access to Services
Medicaid – Primary Source of Mental Health Funding – Faces
Most Serious Threat
Medicaid is slated for $60 billion in cuts over 10 years and major structural
changes that could drastically reduce access to critical services for Americans
with mental illnesses who rely on the program. Medicaid is the largest public
funder of mental health services.
Funding Inadequate to Patch Holes in the Community-Based Mental Health System
The proposed budget slashes the Center for Mental Health Services’ (CMHS)
discretionary budget by $64 million, jeopardizing many programs for adults
and children with mental disorders. The budget also freezes funding for many
important community-based mental health services under CMHS. Programs affected
include:
- The mental health block grant that provides mental health services
and
supports to children and adults with mental health disorders in their community;
- The
children's comprehensive mental health program that supports the development
of interagency systems of care for youth;
- PATH, which provides services to
individuals with mental illnesses who are homeless or at risk of homelessness;
and
- Protection and advocacy services to help people who have mental illnesses
to better understand and assert their rights.
Children & Families
Special Education Funding Shortchanges Kids with Disabilities
The budget proposes $11.1 billion for the Individuals with Disabilities Education
(IDEA) Act Part B Grants to states, well-short of what has been authorized
to help schools and states implement the special education services required
by the IDEA .
Veterans
Veterans Services May Deteriorate
Proposed increases for Veterans Administration (VA) medical services are illusory,
at best. Funding increases are based on speculative revenue sources, including
deceptive "management efficiencies" of $430 million, payments from
veterans ($424 million) based on legislation Congress is likely to reject,
and vastly inflated projections of third-party collections. The budget also
proposes cutting VA's health care staffing – by more than 3,700 employees – at
a time of war and mounting casualties. With what amounts to flat-funding
(in the face of rising medical care inflation), the VA's FY 06 budget is
a recipe for a deterioration in timeliness, access, and even quality of care – especially
for veterans with mental health problems.
Employment
Workplace Supports Cut or Flat-Lined
The Administration’s budget would eliminate important assistance to individuals
with mental illness in the workplace that has, until now, been offered through
the federal supported employment program (previously funded at $37.4 million
via the Department of Education) and provide no funding for several other important
programs. Funding has also been reduced for services and supports available
through the Department of Labor that assist individuals with disabilities in
rehabilitation. The Work Incentives Grants to help individuals with disabilities
gain employment is level funded at $19.7 million.
Housing
Radical Restructuring of Flagship Housing Program Threatens People with Disabilities
The Administration’s proposal to block grant the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development’s (HUD) Section 8 program, which provides housing
to millions of individuals and families, threatens rental subsidies for people
with disabilities and would increase overall affordability problems.
Section 811 Housing Funds Cut in Half
The Administration would cut Section 811, which provides new housing units
to people with disabilities who need support to live successfully in the
community, in half from FY 2005 levels ($238 million to $120 million).
Fair Housing Enforcement Funds Cut
The budget would reduce funds to support fair housing enforcement by more than
20%, hampering enforcement efforts and allowing discrimination against people
with disabilities to persist. Complaints of disability discrimination comprise
the largest number of complaints filed with HUD and state and local fair
housing enforcement agencies.
Criminal and Juvenile Justice Programs
New Program to Address Criminal Justice Crisis Lacks Funds
The recently enacted Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act,
bipartisan legislation to address the high numbers of people with mental
illnesses who are flooding the criminal and juvenile justice systems, receives
no funds under the President’s budget. This law authorizes funding
for states and communities to use for jail diversion, community re-entry,
correctional mental health treatment, and cross training of law enforcement,
corrections and mental health personnel.
Jail Diversion and Community Re-entry Initiatives Lose Funding
The Administration proposes eliminating Byrne Discretionary Grants, an important
source of funding to help states finance a number of jail diversion and community
re-entry initiatives, crisis intervention programs and mental health courts
targeted for youth and adults with mental or emotional disorders.
Deep Cuts for Juvenile Justice Programs
The Administration proposes deep cuts in funding for several juvenile justice
programs. Total funding for these programs would be reduced by 46% from FY
2005. The Juvenile Accountability Block Grant would be eliminated and funding
for the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act would be reduced.
# # #
The Campaign for Mental Health Reform has been organized as the mental health
community’s united voice on federal policy. Its goal is to make access,
recovery, and quality in mental health services the hallmarks of our nation’s
mental health system. For more information, see www.mhreform.org.
Campaign for Mental Health Reform: American Psychiatric Association * American
Psychological Association * CHADD - Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder * Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) * Federation of
Families for Children's Mental Health (FFCMH) * International Association of
Psychosocial
Rehabilitation Services (IAPSRS) * Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental
Health Law * National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) * National Association
of County Behavioral Health Directors (NACBHD) * National Association of State
Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) * National Council for Community
Behavioral Healthcare (NCCBH) * National Empowerment Center (NEC) * National
Mental Health Association (NMHA) * National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help
Clearinghouse * Suicide Prevention Action Network USA (SPANUSA)
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