Montana State Legislature

HJR 35: Children's Mental Health Study

hjr 35: Children's Mental Health System
study materials (by meeting)

House Joint Resolution 35 requested a study of the children's mental health system. The committee began its study in September by learning about how children become eligible for services in the publicly funded system, the types of services that are available to them, and how changes in the state budget in recent years have affected those services. The committee also received required reports about the out-of-state placement of high-risk children and about outcomes for the children being served in the system.

In November 2021, the committee heard from providers of residential treatment services about the reasons they are unable to serve all Montana children. Members also learned about some prevention efforts in the school and some programs administered by the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) that are focused on prevention and early intervention.

In January 2022, committee members heard more about the use of universal depression screening in the school setting and about the system of care statutes that govern services provided to high-risk children who receive services from multiple state agencies. They also learned about the use of Medicaid provider taxes to bolster Medicaid funding for some services.

At their March meeting, members asked for the drafting of bills to provide enhanced Medicaid reimbursement rates for psychiatric residential treatment facilities and therapeutic group homes under certain circumstances and also to institute an assessment on those providers. They also asked for a bill draft to strengthen statutory requirements for qualified provider pools. In May, the committee reviewed the bill drafts and took public comment on them.

At the June 2022 meeting, the committee reviewed and approved for introduction in the 2023 legislative session revised bill drafts that:

limit the enhanced provider rates to PRTF or group home services provided to children who meet age or acuity levels established by DPHHS; and
revise the qualified provider pool bill to require provides to submit a plan of care within 2 working days of a request from DPHHS.

Meeting Materials: June 27, 2022