Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight Council

The Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight Council was established in legislation (PA05-280 and later PA10-119) to advise the Departments of Children and Families (DCF), and Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), and Social Services (DSS) on the planning and implementation of the statutory Behavioral Health Partnership (BHP). The BHP Oversight Council is comprised of legislators and their designees, behavioral health consumers and advocates, medical and mental health practitioners, state agencies and insurers.

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The Mission of the Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight Council:

The Council has the legislative mandate to assess the development and ongoing implementation of the BHP program and make recommendations to the State agencies and the CT General Assembly. The oversight areas include, but are not limited to:

• Review/comment on the contract between DSS, DMHAS, and DCF and the administrative service organization (ASO), Value Options, to ensure ASO decisions are based on clinical management criteria developed by the clinical management committee that includes two members of the BHP Oversight Council.
• Review the delivery of behavioral health services to ensure maximum federal revenue.
• Review and make recommendations to the State agencies and the legislature based on the BHP program reports on services, finances and outcomes and the achievement of the program goals. The BHP Oversight Council may initiate and/or conduct an external independent evaluation of the BHP program.
• Review and make recommendations to the State agencies and the Administrative Service Organization on policies and evaluation of evidence of the equitable statewide delivery of individualized, family-driven, community-based and culturally competent services in the Behavioral Health Partnership Program.
• Consumer grievance procedures, developed by the BHP agencies, shall be submitted to the BHP Oversight Council for review and comment.
• Review all proposals for initial service rates, reductions to existing rates and rate methodology changes. The Council may recommend acceptance of the rates or forward Council rate-specific recommendations to the General Assembly committees of cognizance (Human Services, Public Health and Appropriations).
• Review and comment on policies related to the coordinated delivery of both physical and behavioral health services for the covered populations.

The BHP Oversight Council, which meets monthly, may establish subcommittees to address specific issues.

About the Behavioral Health Partnership for which the Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight Council oversees:

The Behavioral Health Partnership was established by legislation (PA05-280, Sec 92) for creating a Behavioral Health Partnership that provides an integrated behavioral health service system for HUSKY (Medicaid) recipients, Charter Oak Health Plan members, children enrolled in the DCF voluntary services program, and at the DCF and DSS commissioners' discretion, other children and families DCF or the Court Support Services Division of the Judicial Branch serves. The Behavioral Health Partnership shall seek to increase access to quality behavioral health services through:

1. Expansion of individualized, family-centered, community-based services;
2. Maximization of federal revenue to fund behavioral health services;
3. Reduction in the unnecessary use of institutional and residential services for children;
4. Capture and investment of enhanced federal revenue and savings derived from reduced residential services and increased community-based services;
5. Improved administrative oversight and efficiencies; and
6. Monitoring of individual outcomes, provider performance, taking into consideration the acuity of the patients served by each provider, and overall program performance.

Thanks for your interest in the Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight Council. The council's goal is to help ensure that Connecticut residents served by Husky, the state's Medicaid program, receive excellent behavioral health care. The council includes medical and mental health providers, behavioral health consumers, families and advocates, and state agency representatives.

The council is also interested in hearing from people who are not members but whose insights and perspectives can contribute to our goal of ensuring that Husky beneficiaries have broad access to high quality behavioral health care. The council cannot solve individual problems or intervene in care, and does not regulate any providers of care. However, we do examine issues that may lead to improvement of the system as a whole.

If you would like to share your thoughts with the council, please send an email to david.kaplan@cga.ct.gov and include the following information:

Your name, address and contact information;
The organization you represent, if applicable;
A description of the subject you would like to address;
How you believe it will contribute to the council's work.

Council leadership will review your comments and may invite you to speak at a meeting of the council or one of its committees. The council may also refer you to another agency with an interest in your information. Council meetings are video recorded and may be televised by CT-N, a public affairs network that covers the state General Assembly. Thanks for your participation.