Protection & advocacy for individuals with mntl illness

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded $777,307 to Missouri Protection and Advocacy Services on October 1, 2025, under the Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI) program (CFDA 93.138).

Missouri Protection and Advocacy Services, a nonprofit designated as the state's protection and advocacy system, delivers advocacy, legal representation, and investigation of abuse and neglect cases for adults with significant mental illness and children with significant emotional impairment. The award funds administrative, legal, and other remedies to address complaints of rights violations and to protect and enforce constitutional and federal and state statutory rights for eligible individuals. Priority populations include individuals at risk for abuse or neglect in care or treatment facilities, as well as individuals in community settings, including those in the process of admission to facilities, in transit, or involuntarily confined in detention facilities, jails, or prisons.

The funding is obligated through September 30, 2027, and supports activities in Missouri. PAIMI funding is awarded as a formula grant directly to state-designated protection and advocacy systems established under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000. Each allotment is available for obligation over a 24-month period, with payments made through electronic transfer.