FY 1997 Appropriations Report - Human Services

Department of Human Services

    The total FY 1997 appropriation of $492,604,400 for the Department of Human Services is 0.83 percent more than the revised appropriations for FY 1996. The General Fund increase is 6.8 percent above revised appropriations for FY 1996. Federal funds declined 7.4 percent and Dedicated Credits declined 5 percent. The appropriations actions for the offices and divisions of the Department are outlined below.

Executive Director Operations

     Executive Director Operations (EDO) include support functions that serve the several offices and divisions of the Department. Executive Director Operations also includes some programs that are independent of other parts of the Department such as the federal food program management, the Governor's Council on People with Disabilities, and special projects. Executive Director Operations has been extensively reorganized during FY 1996. The Legislature appropriated $16,632,700 to EDO for FY 1997. The FY 1997 appropriation is 19 percent less than FY 1996.

• Management and funding for the Public Assistance Caseload Management Information System (PACMIS) was transferred to the Office of Family Support. The transfer results in a 19 percent decline in the appropriation to EDO.

• An Office of Children's Protection Ombudsman was created in EDO. The Office has five FTE and an appropriation of $270,200.

    The following intent language was included in House Bill 400, "Appropriations Act".

    It is the intent of the Legislature that the Executive Director of the Department of Human Services study whether the Board of Mental Health, Division of Mental Health, Board of Substance Abuse, and Division of Substance Abuse should be combined into one board and one division. The Study shall include at least a review of the role of counties in a consolidated mental health and substance abuse system

and the potential financial savings (if any) due to consolidation. If the Executive Director recommends not to consolidate the board and division he shall explain why he recommends against consolidation. The Executive Director shall convey his study and recommendation to the Human Services Interim Committee before August 31, 1996.

    It is the intent of the Legislature that the Department of Human Services present to the Legislative Fiscal Analyst's office detailed outcome measures for each budget area in each division within the Department. These outcome measures shall be, wherever possible, reported in terms of outcomes achieved with the population served in addition to the report of total numbers served. The Legislative Fiscal Analyst Office shall include the departments report including measurements within their budget presentation on an item by item basis.

The Division of Mental Health

    The Division of Mental Health is the State mental health authority. Under the direction of the State Board of Mental Health the Division develops and supervises the State's mental health program. The Division operates the State Hospital. Except for the hospital, mental health services are delivered through local mental health authorities. The Division distributes state and federal funds to the local mental health agencies. The Division of Mental Health received a FY 1997 appropriation of $55,509,600. The FY 1997 appropriation is 4 percent above revised appropriations for FY 1996.

• A funding increase of $350,000 was made to the Mental Health Centers for Children.

• Mental Health Centers received an appropriation of $150,000 to increase children's respite care.

• The Legislature appropriated $780,200 for provider cost-of-living increases.

• An appropriation of $35,000 was made to implement House Bill 213, "Treatment and Commitment of Mentally Ill Children".

• The State Hospital received an appropriation of $424,700 for increased nursing staff.

• A FY 1996 supplemental appropriation of $416,800 was made to the State Hospital for clinical staff and telecommunications cost.

• House Bill 251, "Collection Agency Regulation", included a negative FY 1996 supplemental appropriation of $175,000 from the General Fund previously appropriated to the Division of Mental Health . The funds were re-appropriated to the Division of Family Services.

    The Legislature placed the following intent language in the Appropriations Act for FY 1997.

    It is the intent of the Legislature that the Division of Mental Health may continue to contract with the Uintah Basin Mental Health Authority as a provider of services through, but not beyond, June 30, 1997.

    It is the intent of the Legislature that the Division of Mental Health may continue to contract with the San Juan Mental Health Authority as a provider of services through, but not beyond, June 30, 1998.

The Division of Substance Abuse

     The Division of Substance Abuse is the substance abuse authority for the State. The Division administers state and federal funds for the treatment and prevention of substance abuse. The Division provides technical, research and fiscal assistance to local substance abuse authorities. It is responsible for the establishment of abuse prevention programs in cooperation with education and other agencies. The Division receives state and federal substance abuse funds and allocates them to local substance abuse authorities. The Division received a FY 1997 appropriation of $24,241,100 which is 9 percent below revised appropriations for FY 1996. The Division is no longer contracting as a provider of services for the substance abuse programs in Bear River and Tooele.

• The Legislature appropriated $168,500 for provider cost of living increases.

• The Legislature appropriated $240,000 for increased youth treatment services.

    The Legislature placed the following intent language in the appropriations act for FY 1997.

    It is the intent of the Legislature that the Division of Substance Abuse may continue to contract with the Uintah Basin Substance Abuse Authority as a provider of services through, but not beyond, June 30, 1997.

    It is the intent of the Legislature that the Division of Substance Abuse may continue to contract with the San Juan Substance Abuse Authority as a provider of services through, but not beyond, June 30, 1998.

The Office of Family Support

    The Office of Family Support is responsible for the management of both the State and Federal Public Assistance Programs. The Office establishes and administers policy, determines eligibility, and issues assistance. The Office consists of a state office and 42 local offices divided into four regions. The Office of Family Support received a FY 1997 appropriation of $163,642,100 which is 6.9 percent below FY 1996 appropriations. The reduced appropriation reflects the transfer of 107 FTEs to the Department of Health and reduced public assistance caseloads.

• The FY 1997 $60,771,100 appropriation for the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program is $10,379,000 below estimated expenditures for FY 1996, due to declining caseloads.

• During FY 1996, 107 medical assistance eligibility workers were transferred to the Department of Health. This reduced the appropriation for the regions by $5,687,200.

     House Bill 375, "Department of Workforce Services," repealed the Office of Family Support and transferred most of its functions the Department of Workforce Services effective in FY 1998.

    The Legislature passed Senate Bill 120, "Adoption Assistance," which provides public assistance for single mothers who give up their child for adoption.

    The Legislature placed the following intent language in the Appropriations Act for FY 1996

    It is the intent of the Legislature that any savings resulting from the AFDC program due to administrative efficiencies, caseload decreases or other means, be non-lapsing and shall be used to fund any increased child care expenses that may arise as a result of more clients moving to employment, or services to absent parents which may enhance the relationship between the absent parent and his/her children and increase child support paid to the custodial parent.

    It is the intent of the Legislature that the Child Care Cash Out system piloted in Cache County be implemented statewide during FY 1997.

    It is the intent of the Legislature to encourage the Office of Family Support, in coordination with the Division of Aging and Adult Services, to make regular visits to senior centers, senior housing units, and other gathering places of seniors for the purpose of Qualified Medicare Beneficiaries outreach and suggest the application and qualification for Qualified Medicare Beneficiaries be accepted at these sites.

    It is the intent of the Legislature that upon passage of Senate Bill 120, the Department of Human Services in developing a sliding fee scale for adoption assistance will reflect the desire of the Senate Human Services Standing Committee by providing a full subsidy for couples that have a gross income of less than $30,000.

    It is further the intent of the Legislature that the Department will determine an adoptive couple's gross income for the purposes of determining eligibility for a subsidy by projecting that couple's income for the year following the actual adoption of the child.

The Division of Services to People with Disabilities

    The Division of Services to People with Disabilities is responsible for providing residential, day and support services. To receive services people must have severe chronic disabilities that cause substantial limitations in at least three areas of major life activities. The services provided range from limited family support to institutional services at the Utah State Developmental Center. The Division received a FY 1997 appropriation of $93,677500, an increase of 13.5 percent over revised FY 1996 appropriations.

• An appropriated $116,700 was made to establish services for victims of brain injury.

• The Legislature appropriated $1,557,000 for provider cost-of-living adjustments.

• The Legislature appropriated $3,139,400 to provide services to people on waiting lists for services.

• Emergency Services was appropriated $397,700.

• An ongoing appropriation of $100,000 was made for rural family support services.

• The Autism program at the Children's Behavior Therapy Unit was appropriated $372,000 to provide service to children on the waiting list.

• The Utah State Developmental Center was appropriated $150,000 to fund selective salary adjustments resulting from a grievance ruling.

    The Legislature placed the following intent language in the Appropriations Act for FY 1997:

    It is the intent of the Legislature that the State Office of Education, and the Departments of Human Services and Health, in conjunction with the Families, Agencies and Communities Together (FACT) steering committee, study the issues affecting individuals with autism from pre-diagnosis through adult services. The plan will be presented to the Public Education, and Health and Human Appropriations Subcommittees during the 1997 General Session of the Legislature.

    It is the intent of the Legislature that the Department of Human Services, Division of Services for People with Disabilities and the Department of Health, Division of Health Care Financing evaluate the self-determination model--as implemented in New Hampshire and other states--and similar consumer choice models for application by agencies that serve individuals with disabilities in Utah. Directors of the above-named divisions will advise the Human Services Interim Committee and the Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee of their findings and recommendations.

    It is the intent of the Legislature that in renewing contracts with private providers the Division of Services to People with Disabilities shall consider prevailing labor market conditions.

The Division of Child and Family Services

    The statute that establishes the Division of Child and Family Services defines their mission as:

    "...to aid persons in moving toward their optimum well-being and enable them to understand and use their own resources, to find and use existing resources, and to develop new community resources, and to contribute to positive social and institutional change." (62A-4-101 (7) Utah Code Annotated, 1953)

    The statute lists 19 services that the Division must provide families. Among the responsibilities assigned to the Division are child welfare and domestic violence services. The Division is responsible for the promotion and

enforcement of all laws enacted for the protection of dependent, neglected and abused children and status offenders, and the provision of substitute care for dependent, neglected and abused children. The Division is also required to provide financial assistance for subsidized adoptions. The Division received a FY 1997 appropriation of $88,652,900. The Division received $10,904,600 in supplemental appropriations for FY 1996. The FY 1997 appropriation is 5.3 percent over the revised FY 1996 appropriation.

• The Legislature passed House Bill 373, "Child Welfare Reform Act Amendment", which changed the name of the division to the Division of Child and Family Services and appropriated $515,000 for pilot projects.

• The Legislature appropriated $1,890,800 for additional child protective workers and technology to enable more efficient operation.

• A reduction of $3,000,000 was included in the appropriation for anticipated efficiencies.

• An appropriation of $10,520,200 was made for increasing children-in- custody caseloads.

• Family preservation services was appropriated $448,100.

• Appropriations for domestic violence services were increased by $432,300.

• Increasing caseloads for subsidized adoptions were funded for $1,711,100.

• An appropriation of $180,000 was made for crisis nurseries.

• The Legislature made supplemental FY 1996 appropriations of $2,508,300 for children-in-custody.

• A FY 1996 supplemental appropriation of $470,000 was made for subsidized adoptions.

    The Legislature placed the following intent language in the appropriations act for FY 1997.

    It is the intent of the Legislature that in the Division of Family Services funds for Development of a Management Information System be nonlapsing.

    It is the intent of the Legislature that annual appropriation amounts granted the Division of Family Services for Domestic Violence Services be restricted for those purposes only and that these funds not be transferred to other service categories.

The Division of Aging and Adult Services

    The Division of Aging and Adult Services plans, develops and funds services for adult and elderly people in Utah. The division provides adult protective services. The division also administers programs under the Federal Older American's Act, and the State's Home and Community-based Waiver. Most services are provided through local area agencies on aging. The Division of Aging received an appropriation of $16,170,600 for FY 1997, an increase of 6.5 percent over revised FY 1996 appropriations.

• The Legislature appropriated $159,700 for provider cost-of-living adjustments.

• An appropriation of $150,000 was made to increase the number of people served under the home and community-based waiver.

• The Legislature appropriated $449,500 to increase nutrition services.

• An appropriation of $300,000 was made for the Alternatives to Nursing Home program.

• House Bill 35, "Senior Citizen Center Funding", appropriated $200,000 for capital improvements for senior citizens programs in FY 1996.

Office of Recovery Services

    The Office of Recovery Services is responsible for collecting funds owed to the State in the Social Services and Medical Assistance areas. Federal Law requires the Office to provide child support collections services to families not receiving assistance. The Legislature appropriated $33,877,900 to the Office of Recovery Services in FY 1997. In FY 1996 the Office of Recovery Services funding was shifted from dedicated credits to the General Fund. This procedure simplified the funding formula for ORS. With the changes occurring in the federal government, this shift will prove beneficial to the office in the long run. The General Fund appropriation for the office of Recovery Services in FY 1997 is $12,049,700.