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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Papen

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/1/07

HB

SHORT TITLE Respite Services for Mentally Ill

SB 484

ANALYST Geisler

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$100.0

Recurring

General

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to: SB 280

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Department of Health (DOH)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 484 would appropriate $100,000 to the Department of Health (DOH) to provide

respite services for the mentally ill and their families. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance

remaining at the end of fiscal year 2008 shall revert to the general fund.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

DOH notes that the funding in SB 484 is not in the executive budget for DOH or for HSD.

DOH notes that respite services for adults with mental illness are not part of the NM Medicaid

benefit package except in limited exceptions (see discussion below under significant issues).

Senate Bill 484 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The NM Behavioral Health Collaborative defines respite care service as “a program of care, in a

supervised setting, for individuals with or at risk of serious emotional, behavioral, or

neurobiological disorders or severe mental illness and/or serious addictive disorders. The

purpose of respite is to sustain the family or other primary caregiver by providing those

individuals with time limited temporary relief from the ongoing responsibility of care." (Service

Definition for HCPCS T1005, 4-14-05)

According to the Value Options New Mexico (VONM) report on behavioral health populations

currently being served with BHSD funding, up to 7,439 individuals over the age of 18 and their

families could be eligible for respite services.

SB 484 does not speak to whether the services to be covered by this appropriation are for adults,

children, or both. Respite services for children are currently covered as a Medicaid enhanced

benefit, through the Medically Fragile Waiver, and through CYFD as a wraparound service.

Respite services for adults are not covered except through the Disabled & Elderly and Medically

Fragile waivers, both of which rarely cover adults with mental illness.

RELATIONSHIP

SB 484 relates to Section 8.4 of SB 280, Certain Agency Expenditures (DOH section). This

section appropriates $57,000 to DOH from the general fund for expenditure in fiscal years 2007

and 2008 to contract for unspecified behavioral health services in southern New Mexico.

GG/nt