VA. GOV. YOUNGKIN: FACT SHEET – A COMMON GROUND BUDGET TO INVEST IN VIRGINIANS' HEALTH

RICHMOND, Virginia, April 11 (TNSres) -- Gov. Glenn Youngkin, R-Virginia, issued the following news release on April 10, 2024:

Governor Glenn Youngkin on Monday released a package of 242 budget amendments to find common ground with the General Assembly on a new, two-year budget. The proposed package eliminates all tax decreases and increases, includes record funding for K-12 education, and provides $3.2 billion in new spending on health and human resources. We can find Common Ground for the Commonwealth and deliver a structurally balanced, clean budget, on time.

Governor Youngkin's Proposed Health and Human Resources Amendments

The Common Ground Budget reflects the collective commitment to health and human resources, including our ongoing transformation of Virginia's behavioral health system.

* Includes a $3.2 billion increase in health and human resources general funds over the previous biennium.

* Invests $895 million to fully fund Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance, including a $150 million reserve fund for enrollment uncertainty in the wake of reduced federal funding.

* Implements bold changes to the Developmental Disabilities waiver program authorizing a record 3,440 priority one slots for those with the highest need, utilizing $516 million in total funds.

- Adopts the General Assembly's phase-in of waiver slots and reimbursement rate increases to help grow the workforce which were not included in the introduced budget.

* Provides $169 million in additional investments in behavioral health for the next phase of Virginia's Right Help, Right Now Transformation.

Behavioral Health investments in the Common Ground Budget double-down on a commitment to get Virginians the Right Help Right Now, supporting same-day care delivery through mobile crisis units and crisis centers to reduce overcrowding at emergency departments and relieve strain on law enforcement who can instead better serve the communities where they are needed.

* $71 million to expand emergency room alternatives including Mobile Crisis Teams, Crisis Receiving Centers, and STEP-VA services at local Community Service Boards to ensure that people have someone to respond and somewhere to go in a crisis.

* $61 million of investment in the Behavioral Health Workforce, including $47 million to support salary increases and workforce development at 41 locally run Community Services Boards and raises for staff who are critical to our state hospitals.

* Maintains $30 million dollars for implementation and expansion of school-based mental health services at local school divisions.

* Initiates planning funds for a state-of-the-art facility to provide a continuum of high-quality psychiatric services for children and young adults through age 26.

The Common Ground Budget includes specialized resources for individuals with substance use disorders or who have high risks of overdosing. Virginians should have immediate access to all the resources they need anytime and anywhere.

* Invests $25 million of additional Commonwealth Opioid Abatement and Remediation funding to expand efforts to combat the Opioid crisis, especially the dangerous scourge of fentanyl:

- Invests $12 million in jail-based, youth, and adult programs that support Virginians recovering from addiction.

- Provides $11 million to the Department of Health for the delivery of no-cost naloxone, including the General Assembly's allocation for a new 8mg dosage to rapidly reverse opioid overdoses.

The Common Ground Budget preserves and responds to priorities introduced in the General Assembly's amendments to the introduced budget.

* Preserves $41 million in total funds for the Nursing Facility Value-Based Program, supporting add-on funding for facilities that meet or exceed performance which was not included in the introduced budget.

* Increases support for kinship and foster care families by $34 million, including cost of living adjustments and relative maintenance payments.

* Funds a Summer EBT program that provides food to as many as 830,000 children without access to healthy food in summer months.

* Maintains $7 million authorization for the Department of Social Services to begin the process of replacing VaCMS, the benefits enrollment system utilized by the local departments.

* Fully incorporates the General Assembly's Supports Community Health Workers at local health departments with an annual appropriation of $3.2 million.

The Common Ground Budget fully funds safety net programming.

* The $895 million additional general fund investment in Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program coincides with recent programs changes and reduced federal financial participation post-pandemic.

* Fully incorporates the General Assembly's $150 million Medicaid contingency reserve to cover slightly higher-than-anticipated enrollment, a prudent step to buy down future obligations.

* Provides $97 million to support the Children's Services Act as caseloads and costs increase at the Office of Children's Services.

We can still make significant investments in collective priorities without raising taxes. The Common Ground Budget represents a $3.2 billion increased general fund investment in Health and Human Resources, allowing unprecedented investments in bipartisan Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities initiatives to continue.

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Original text here: https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/news-releases/2024/april/name-1025445-en.html