3/22/10
The Senate Mental Health budget has been posted*:

 The overview from our perspective:

 ---Additional $14.5 million in cuts for mental health administration. This cut is proposed for the state operations budget and should not directly affect community programs. That said, we will advocate strongly for restoration.

 --$4.5 million cut to PROS. There has been some confusion about this proposed cut and we will work with the legislature around this issue.

 --$2 million cut to COPS (no details on that)

 --$1 million cut to NY/NY III Housing

---$200,000 Add to MHANYS to continue our Health Care Enhancement Program

 --OMIG…I know that many of you have asked me about the OMIG. In the language of their proposal, the Senate is introducing legislation that, “Extends due process rights to providers being audited by the OMIG, with a particular focus on extrapolation methods and withholding of Medicaid funds.”

 It is important to remember that this negotiation could well be going over for several weeks. The Assembly has still not introduced their budget proposal and negotiations have not yet begun. The important piece about the introduction of the Senate budget is that it shows the community what the Senate priorities are in all sectors.

  Much more to come in the weeks ahead (though the legislature is on break next week).

*This information comes to us from MHANYS.