Bill > S1518

This bill modifies how the Department of Children and Families (DCF) handles funding for behavioral health services and community-based care. Specifically, it allows entities contracting with the DCF to manage behavioral health services, known as "managing entities," to carry forward up to 8% of unexpended state funds from one fiscal year to the next, provided these funds are not used to create future recurring obligations and are separately reported; any excess funds must be returned to the department, and all remaining unexpended funds at the end of a contract period must also be returned. The bill also changes the payment method for fixed-price contracts with these managing entities to include a two-month advance payment at the start of each fiscal year, followed by equal monthly payments. Additionally, it revises the funding allocation for community-based care lead agencies, shifting the basis for recurring core services funding to be 90% from the prior year's base and 10% from an equity allocation model, starting in the 2013-2014 fiscal year, and clarifies how new core services funds are allocated based on the equity model, requiring such allocations to be proportional and only provided to agencies where their current funding proportion is less than what the equity model suggests, unless otherwise specified in the General Appropriations Act.