Consider Thanking Our Appropriations Committee For Restoring Funding To Many Services Cut Earlier This Session By The Governor.

The Appropriations Committee will be voting on their proposed budget early

next week. 

( Original Blog dated 4.11.2013)

NOW is the time to CALL the Chairs and Vice-chairs of Appropriations, as well as democratic leadership, Speaker of the House and President of the Senate.

Co-Chair Senator Toni Harp: 860-240-0393 | 1-800-842-1420



Co-Chair Representative Toni Walker: 860-240-8585 | 1-800-842-8267



Vice-Chair Senator Joan Hartley: 860-240-000 | 1-800-842-1420



Vice-Chair Rep. Mae Flexer: 860-240-8585 | 1-800-842-8267



Vice-Chair Rep. Patricia Billie Miller: 860 240-8585 | 1-800-842-8267



Vice-Chair Rep. Elaine O’Brien: 860 240-8585 | 1-800-842-8267



Speaker of the House Rep. Brendan Sharkey: 860-240-8500 |1- 800-842-1902



President Pro Tempore Senator Don Williams: 860-240-8614 | 1-800-842-1420




The primary areas where Keep the Promise has taken the lead advocating for NEW moneys are the following initiatives that were not included in the major bill that was passed last week (and that was already signed by the governor): 



1) Peer Bridger Programs ($1.5 million) (peer support services that are initiated during hospitalization and continue after discharge into the community)



2) Housing First funds for DMHAS ($1 million) (subsidized housing with Assertive Community Treatment-ACT- for person with psychotic disorders for whom other treatment modalities have not worked)



3) Young Adult Services (YAS) for people experiencing their first episodes ($500,000)




Of course, there are other outstanding items that were cut (and some that received proposals for more funding) that you may care about from the list below, which you can choose to highlight in your calls: 



OPPOSE cuts to the following services/programs

1. School Based Health Centers (SBHCs) expansion elimination 


2. DMHAS grants reduction – affecting outpatient services 


3. CLRP legal services cuts


4. HUSKY Parents eligibility restrictions (eliminating Medicaid coverage for parents with income of between 133-185% of FPL and moving them into the Health Insurance Exchange/Access Health CT with premiums, co-pays, deductibles) 


5. Implementing Step Therapy under the pharmacy program


6. COLA elimination for the Aged, Blind and Disabled


7. Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight Council (BHP OC) elimination




SUPPORT funding for the following services /programs

1. Housing Initiative including Supportive and Affordable housing


2. Expansion of Young Adult Services (YAS)


3. New funding for Health Home services 



It is also important to call ALL Appropriation Committee members as this is a very difficultly budget climate. If your legislator(s) are on the Appropriations Committee, call them and tell them what you care about and what important services and treatment options need to be included in this budget. 

Click here for contact information for members of the Appropriations Committee. 





Your call will make a difference!

(Edited from NAMI & KTP call to action email)

Feb. 15th, 2013 Hearing on DHMAS & DPH Budgets.

(Edited from Letter sent by FFLD & CT NAMI.)

HEARING Friday February 15th, 2013

The Governor’s budget has proposed cuts to eliminate funding for research and eliminate funding for new and expanded School-based Health Centers is disastrous. While Bill #169 is being proposed to have each child screened in school.

With such high unemployment, expensive and ineffective private insurance families rely on school-based health centers MORE & MORE to meet their needs for a full range of age-appropriate health care services, typically including:  Primary medical care, Mental/behavioral health care, Dental/oral health care, Health education and promotion, Substance abuse counseling, Case management, Nutrition education

Hearing after hearing this year has stressed the need for early identification of mental health issues and while more and more families are being denied services by insurance companies or have to deal with waiting lists or reduced hours by service providers, school-based health centers provide the answer for early identification and intervention and treatment. THIS MAKES NO SENSE based on the facts, the hearing testimony by professionals. . • CT Mental Health Center: Governor’s budget includes proposal to Eliminate funding for research. 


“If only they knew more about my loved one’s illness?” Why aren’t they listening!

PLEASE make your voice heard. PLEASE pass on this email.

There are going to be a lot of important issues coming down the pike this year thanks to the increased awareness of the flaws in our mental health system. NOW IS OUR CHANCE TO BE HEARD!

The co-chairs of the Appropriations Committee are Senator Toni Harp and Representative Toni Walker. 



(Letter from)  Keep The Promise Coalition and NAMI Connecticut Members and Advocates.  

Below is a summary of the major items in the Governor’s budget proposal related to the DMHAS and DPH budgets. Please consider testifying or submitting testimony to support programs that are important to people living with mental illness in Connecticut. 

The Governor’s budget includes proposals to decrease funding to the below programs. Please consider testifying IN OPPOSITION to the below cuts and emphasize why these programs are vital to the mental health community: 

• Legal Services: Governor’s budget includes proposal to Reduce funding; over $280,000 each Fiscal Year, 2014 and 2015

• School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs): Governor’s budget includes proposal to Eliminate funding for twenty-two new or expanded School Based Health Centers; over $2.7 million each Fiscal Year, 2014 and 2015 and for which funds were originally appropriated in Fiscal Year 2013. Comprehensive School Based Health Centers provide both primary and mental health care on school grounds, making services accessible at low cost bolstering early identification of physical and mental health issues. 

• CT Mental Health Center: Governor’s budget includes proposal to Eliminate funding for research

• Rescission and Deficit mitigation cuts: Governor’s budget includes proposal to Annualize these cuts, making them permanent

The governor’s budget includes funding increases to the below programs. In your testimony, we urge you to thank the governor and remind the legislators of the importance of increasing funding to the following programs.

We SUPPORT: 

• Young Adult Services (YAS): Increased funding 

• Acquired/Traumatic Brain Injury placements: Increased funding 

• Discharge Fund for patients at CT Valley Hospital: Increased funding 

• Supportive Housing: Governor Malloy’s Housing Initiative includes investments in Supportive Housing. It authorizes $20 million to develop 100 new units of supportive housing with an annualized $1 million for rental assistance subsidies and $1 million for services. Supportive housing is a successful and cost-effective approach to addressing homelessness by creating permanent affordable housing with services. 

• Health Homes: New funding for Health Home Initiative which is designed to better coordinate behavioral and physical healthcare for clients served by DMHAS. This new funding ($10 million), combined with in-kind support of state operated and privately provided services, will result in $50 million in additional revenue over the biennium due to a 90% federal match available under the Affordable Care Act. 

• Home and Community Based Services (HCBS): Increased funding

• Private non-profit providers: annualized 1% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA); establishment of $40 million bond funding

For hearing details, please see the following instructions: 

The co-chairs of the Appropriations Committee are Senator Toni Harp and Representative Toni Walker. 

Public speaker order for the public hearing will be determined by a lottery system. Lottery numbers will be drawn from 9:00 AM until 10:00 AM in the LOB First Floor Atrium and from 10:15 AM until 1:00 PM in Room 2700. The list of speakers registered through the lottery system will be posted outside the designated hearing room (Room 2C) two hours prior to the start of the public hearing. Speakers arriving after the completion of the lottery will have their names placed at the end of the speaker list. On February 15 the Committee will provide a separate sign-up sheet for persons with special needs. Those speakers will be registered on a first-come, first-served basis. The Committee Chairs will alternate between the special needs list and the standard list until the special needs list has been exhausted. Speakers will be limited to 3 minutes of testimony. Please submit 25 copies of written testimony at the time of sign-up. Testimony delivered after the start of a hearing may not be distributed until the following day. The Committee will accept electronic testimony via email at appropriationtestimo@cga.ct.gov for posting on the Committee’s website and inclusion in the hearing transcript. All public hearing testimony, written & spoken, is public information. As such, it will be made available on the CGA website and will be indexed by Internet search engines. For the February 15 public hearing, Room 2D will be reserved for individuals with special needs who need a quiet space while waiting to testify. 

The co-chairs of the Appropriations Committee are Senator Toni Harp and Representative Toni Walker. if you are unable to testify, your voice can still be heard by writing letters/emails to your legislators.  Thank you for your invaluable advocacy efforts and we hope to see many of you this Friday!