Office of Mental Health

The enacted budget (included in the extender bill passed on June 14, 2010) makes the following changes to the Executive budget (revised June 24, 2010):

• Extends the requirement that OMH submit a report on unmet needs for traditionally underserved populations from April 2010 to April 2011.

• Extends the current exemptions for social work and mental health professional licensure requirements from June 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013 and requires SED to complete a workforce study by July 1, 2012 in anticipation of further changes to the underlying licensure statues to appropriately reflect which titles, functions and duties should be performed only by licensed or otherwise authorized personnel.  Authorizes SED to provide waivers for exempting corporate practice prohibitions for certain not-for-profit corporations and education corporations, establishes procedures for such waivers and allows State agencies to contract with entities applying for such waivers.  

• Makes no changes in the Executive Budget or its OMH All Funds appropriations, which is an $83.4 million increase from the SFY 2009-10 enacted budget All Funds appropriation.

The Senate Budget Resolution makes the following recommendations (March 22, 2010):

·         Reduction of $14.5 million for “miscellaneous adjustments”. It is unclear if these reductions are in State Operations.

·         Rejects the Executive proposal to permit the use of video-teleconferencing of certain judicial proceedings for the purposes of any civil management court proceeding.

·         Modifies the Executive proposal to extend the exemptions for social work and mental health professional licensure requirements from June 1, 2010 to June 1, 2014 to include any NYS or Federal Agency or other governmental entity and require that such entities report their progress toward compliance on an annual basis on or before June 1 of each year.

 According to the Assembly (analysis as of January 28, 2010):

·         $103,000 in savings is associated with the Executive Budget’s proposal to insource IT consultant staff

The Executive Budget recommends (analysis as of January 20, 2010):

·         A FY 2010-11 workforce of 16,169 FTEs, decrease of 128 through attrition from the adjusted FTE level for FY 2009-10, all in the Adult Services program.  This decrease reflects the attrition of 2,070 FTEs offset by 1,942 new hires.

The following table identifies adjustments in the current fiscal year’s FTEs along with the recommended change from the adjusted FY 2009-10 FTEs by program:

·         An All Funds appropriation of $2.13 billion, an increase of $83.4 million (4.1%) over the enacted SFY 2009-10 appropriation. Most of this increase is in Special Revenue funds.  This includes a $76.9 million (6.7%) increase in funding for personal service from the enacted budget, or an increase of $77.4 million from the adjusted appropriation.  Contractual services decrease by $32.1 million (-19%).

·         Closure of 8 adult inpatient wards (5% of capacity), shifting the staffing resources associated with 6 wards to community programs and converting 2 adult inpatient wards to Transitional Placement Programs.  $9 million in savings and 226 FTE reductions are associated with these closures in SFY 2010-11.

·         The forensic sex offender unit at Manhattan Psychiatric Center will close.  Additional sex offender housing will be added at St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center.  $10 million in savings and 130 FTEs are associated with this closure and with the proposed use of video conferencing for court proceedings.

·         State operations efficiencies will save $44 million in SFT 2010-11.  This includes increased use of alternative work schedules, reducing the use of stand-by/on call shifts; reducing overtime; converting IT consultant staff to less costly state employees; reducing redundant reporting requirements; and reducing less critical staff via attrition.

·         A  Residential Mental Health Unit in Five Points Correctional Facility is scheduled to open in July 2011 (SFY 2011-12).

·         According to the 2010-11 Consulting Service Contract Report OMH employed an estimated 1,134 employees under consultant contracts in SFY 2009-10 at a cost of $56.06 million.  The same number and cost of consultants is reportedly estimated for 2010-11, however the budget narrative refers to the conversion of IT staff to state employees. This discrepancy and the purpose and use of these contract employees should be clarified at statewide labor management. 

·         Article VII legislation would:

o   Allow ward closures and restructuring without twelve month notice, extend Community Mental Health Support and Workforce Reinvestment Program, and remove reinvestment reporting requirements;

o   Eliminate the requirement that OMH issue a report on the provision of mental health services to traditionally underserved populations;