Authority: Title 37.2, Chapters 1 through 11, Code of Virginia.
A. Out of this appropriation, $700,000 the first year and $700,000 the second year from the general fund shall be used to continue operating up to 13 beds at Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute (NVMHI) that had been scheduled for closure in fiscal year 2013. The Commissioner of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services shall ensure continued operation of at least 123 beds.
B. Out of this appropriation, $2,500,000 the first year and $2,500,000 the second year from the general fund shall be made available for the purchase of private inpatient geriatric mental health services and for Discharge Assistance Planning (DAP) funds. Out of the appropriation in the first year, $652,500 shall be allocated for Discharge Assistance Planning funds for Western State Hospital. The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services shall report annually to the Secretary of Finance and the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees on the number of individuals served and the types of services provided.
C.1. Out of this appropriation, up to $450,000 the first year from the general fund shall be provided to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to develop and issue a request for proposals to hire a contractor to develop a comprehensive plan for the publicly funded geropsychiatric system of care in Virginia. The plan shall address the appropriate array of community services and state geropsychiatric facility services upon which Virginia's behavioral health system should be modeled. The plan shall address relevant state and federal requirements as well as the need for the state to serve as the provider of last resort and forensic services. The plan shall include an assessment of: (i) the level of care required for individuals residing in state geropsychiatric facilities; (ii) current and historical admission and discharge trends by locality; (iii) the number of individuals on the Extraordinary Barriers List and others who may be clinically ready for discharge, and option to overcome the barriers to discharge; (iv) short and long-term inpatient psychiatric services capacity; (v) the availability of an appropriate array of community based services in each region served by the state geriatric hospitals; and (vi) models of care in other states that demonstrate best practices, integrated service delivery, and appropriate hospital services. The department shall include staff from the Department of Planning and Budget and the Department of Health on the RFP review and selection team.
2. The plan shall be provided to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees and the Joint Subcommittee to Study Mental Health Services in the Twenty-First Century by November 15, 2016.
3. The Department of Planning and Budget shall unallot these funds on July 1, 2016 and shall not allot these funds until documentation is provided showing the contract award amount.
D.1. Out of this appropriation up to $250,000 the first year from the general fund shall be provided for the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to procure an independent contractor, with extensive experience in certification of health care facilities in accordance with federal requirements, to determine the necessary requirements and to assist staff at Eastern State Hospital in implementing such requirements to seek the appropriate Medicaid certification of all or a portion of the Hancock Geriatric Treatment Center. The department shall include staff from the Department of Planning and Budget and the Department of Health on the procurement review and selection team.
2. Upon completion of the recommendations from the contractor and a determination that certification is feasible, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services shall seek and submit, when feasible, the appropriate application for Medicaid certification from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
3. The Commissioner shall report on the contract and the progress to obtain Medicaid certification of the Center to the Chairmen of the House Appropriation and Senate Finance Committee by December 1, 2016 and provide a final report upon determination of the certification decision from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.