FY 2020 annual report

A Y E A R L I K E N O O T H E R 10 T hroughout FY2020, NJAMHAA continued to have a substantial impact on legislation and policies, as it has done throughout its nearly 70-year history. Following are highlights of advocacy achievements from FY2020. NJAMHAA Achieves Impact through Advocacy throughout the Year: State Policy and Legislation NJAMHAA’s advocacy led to several provisions in the FY2020 State Budget that benefit providers and, ultimately, the individuals they serve. The budget contin- ued: $100 million from the previous year to fight the opioid crisis; rate increases for psychiatric diagnostic evaluations in outpatient mental health programs; and the increased rate for Care Management Organizations. The budget also included an increase in the hourly wage and other additional funding for direct support pro- fessionals (DSPs) who provide services for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities; several increases to re-entry programs; a $7 million increase to Charity Care; and language to expand access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for incarcerated individuals. Also in July 2019, Gov. Murphy signed into law two bills that require warning labels on opioid prescription bottles and codify the elimination of the prior authorization mandate for Medicaid beneficiaries seek- ing MAT. Moreover, the Governor signed a resolution designating “Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day”, with the goal of increasing awareness of opioid misuse. In November, an important win for providers resulted from NJAMHAA’s advocacy to extend contracts for Community Support Services (CSS) programs until June 30, 2021, allowing more time to restructure the program model to help ensure its ongoing viability when programs eventually transition to fee-for-service (FFS) reimbursement. NJAMHAA’s continued participation in the CSS workgroup, in collaboration with