SAM69846JOFOC.docx

The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law is uniquely equipped to handle this work. The Center has over 30 years of experience in evaluating both the legal and policy implications of legislation in advancing community membership of people with mental health needs. The Center (and the proposed Project Director for this project, Chris Koyanagi) has expert knowledge of Medicaid law and policy as it relates to mental health issues. Koyanagi has authored, on behalf of the Center, a number of key Medicaid publications including reports that contained data similar to that required for this project: Making Sense of Medicaid: for Children with Serious Emotional Disturbance and Recovery in the Community: Funding Mental Health Rehabilitative Approaches under Medicaid. Both of these reports were based on a reading of the states regulations and manuals describing their community mental health services. In addition, the Center produced Partners in Planning: Consumers Role in Contracting for Public Sector Managed Mental Health and Addiction Services, a SAMHSA publication that discusses the policy issues that need to be addressed in Medicaid managed care contracts for behavioral health services. Avoiding Cruel Choices, a Guide for Policymakers and Family Organizations on Medicaids Role in Preventing Custody Relinquishment described and analyzed the Home and Community Based Waivers under Medicaid and the so-called TEFRA eligibility option.

The Center also has studied best practices by mental health and other systems in reaction to psychiatric emergencies, Medicaid benefit issues for persons incarcerated or released from jail and prison, and police interactions with individuals who have a mental illness.

The Center is nationally known for its mental health policy and legal expertise and is fully qualified to assess both the programmatic and legal implications of best practices by mental health and other systems in reaction to psychiatric emergencies (including those with co-occurring substance abuse disorders.) The Center will use their sole and existing data to complete this work. This important study can’t be conducted without access to this data. As this is an ongoing effort by the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law in which SAMHSA intends to participate, recreating or initiating a similar effort would not only be duplicative but also create undue financial expense and hardship to the Government.