Establishes the school mental health services program coordinator to provide qualifying public and nonpublic schools with mental health services professionals.
Increases Medicaid reimbursement rates for certain behavioral health services provided to individuals under the age of twenty-one; directs that funds in the healthcare stability fund can be used for the funding of children's behavioral health outpatient rate increases.
This bill requires New York teachers to complete mandatory continuing education focused on mental health. Specifically, it mandates that during each five-year teacher registration period, educators must complete at least two sessions (out of a total 100 required hours) covering mental health topics like identifying early signs of mental illness, behavioral health disorders, eating disorders, crisis de-escalation, and evidence-based programs such as Mental Health First Aid. The training must be developed by the education and health departments and integrated into existing teacher certification requirements. It directly affects all K-12 teachers seeking or renewing their teaching licenses in New York State.
Authorizes certain facilities to provide treatment for the mental health and health care needs of individuals admitted for a substance use disorder; provides that such services shall be reimbursable by Medicaid and private insurance.
Requires parity in the mental and physical health treatment of the residents of New York state; provides that both mental and physical health "will be matters of public concern and provision therefor shall be made by the state and by such of its subdivisions".
Prevents discrimination by insurers based on an individual's mental health or substance use disorder; incorporates into law federal enforcement rules set forth in the federal mental health parity and addiction equity act of 2008.
Bill A 8055 proposes to change how outpatient mental health and substance use disorder services are administered under Medicaid. It shifts these services, along with comprehensive Medicaid case management, from a managed care model back to a fee-for-service system. This change, subject to federal approval, directly affects individuals with mental illness or substance use disorder who rely on these services and the licensed facilities that provide them. The bill also requires that any savings generated by this transition be reinvested into community-based behavioral health services.
This bill amends New York's education law to explicitly allow students to be absent from school for "mental or behavioral health" reasons, alongside existing permitted absences like religious observance. It directly affects minor students and their schools, ensuring mental health needs are recognized as a valid reason for absence without penalty. The key mechanism requires the state education commissioner to establish specific rules for how schools must handle such absences. The law does not create new requirements but formalizes existing practice under a clear policy framework.
This bill amends New York's Mental Hygiene Law to clarify criteria for court-ordered outpatient treatment and hospitalization for people with severe mental illness. It updates definitions to explicitly include "serious harm" from self-neglect (like untreated psychosis or inability to meet basic needs) as grounds for intervention, beyond just immediate violence risk. The law requires clinicians to first assess whether outpatient treatment could be effective before pursuing involuntary hospitalization. It aims to expand access to existing assisted outpatient programs (like "Kendra's Law") by removing barriers preventing eligible individuals from receiving community-based care.
Increases Medicaid reimbursement rates for certain behavioral health services provided to individuals under the age of twenty-one; directs that funds in the healthcare stability fund can be used for the funding of children's behavioral health outpatient rate increases.
