2026-advocacy-piece

RECOMMENDATIONS 6 The Behavioral Health Budget Must Reflect New Jersey Value & Needs • Maintain the $43 million in state funding for the NJ Statewide Student Support Services (NJ4S) program. • Provide a $3 million increase to School Based Youth Services Programs. • Invest $3.2 million to increase Children’s Partial Hospital rates to $115 per hour. • Provide $16.7 million (will draw a $16.7m federal match) to increase Care Management Organizations’ per member/per month rate to $1,200. • Increase the number of inpatient beds for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. • Provide $300,000 for training Group Home, Care Management Organization, Mobile Response and other staff providing services to children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. • Release the remaining $23 million for children’s mental health services that was rolled over to FY2026, according to the Department of Children and Families’ spending plan. Source: Department of Children and Families’ NJ4S Annual Report and Addendum, 2023-2024 School Year NJ4S: Growth Over Time School Year 2023-2024 (September 1, 2023 to August 31, 2024) to School Year 2024-2025 to date (September 1, 2024 to April 1, 2025) Total Number of Individuals Receiving Interventions by Month ( Tier 2 and 3 Services) School Year 2023 versus School Year 2024, to date SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG 10,418 1,585 781 2024 2023 1 4,249 1,215 Total Number of Interventions by Month ( Tier 2 and 3 Services) School Year 2023 versus School Year 2024, to date 395 224 2024 2023 5 5 4 247 268 47 • The number of students, parents and staff receiving Tier 1 services grew from 239,702 in the 2023- 2024 School Year to 295,375 in the 2024-2025 school year, to date. • 420 Tier 2 interventions have been delivered in the 2024-2025 school year, to date, up from 277 in the 2023-2024 school year. • 1,310 Tier 3 interventions have been delivered in the 2024-2025 school year, to date, up from 866 in the 2023-2024 school year. KEY FINDINGS With 5 months remaining in the 2024-2025 school year, NJ4S has surpassed the prior school year in Tier 1 service participants and Tier 2 and 3 interventions delivered. Total Number of Individuals Receiving Tier 1 Services By School Year 239,702 2023-2024 295,375 2024-2025, to date With 5 months left in the school year, NJ4S has served more youth in School Year 2024-2025 compared to School Year 2023-2024 .