By Dave Ranney, KHI News Service, November 18, 2009
TOPEKA — With more budget cuts coming, a state welfare official is forecasting tough times ahead for the the state’s community mental health programs.
"It’s going to be very difficult," Rick Shults, director of mental health services at the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services told members of the Kansas Mental Health Coalition on Wednesday.
The governor is expected to announce a new round of cuts or so-called allotments next week in response to revenue shortfalls. The state constitution requires state government to operate with a balanced budget.
Shults said he had "no special knowledge of what the (cuts) are going to be," but that it was safe to assume they would be significant.
Earlier this year, also because of budget pressures, SRS broke precedent and agreed to allow community mental health centers to institute waiting lists for non-emergency services.
The centers are state-funded and many of the services they provide are not protected by federal mandate.
Centers that have not yet initiated a waiting list may need to start one, Shults said, and those that have one may need to expand it.
Earlier this month, budget officials announced the state would have to cut current fiscal year spending by at least $258.8 million to offset a projected 4.2 percent drop in revenue.
Gov. Mark Parkinson has said he will announce his plans for implementing the cuts next week.
The governor, Shults said, faces a "Draconian responsibility to bring spending in line."
In September, SRS officials said that if they were ordered to cut 5 percent from the agency’s fiscal 2011 budget, they would likely cut services for people with developmental and physical disabilities and for the mentally ill. They also would propose reductions in substance abuse programs and cuts in services for at-risk families.
The governor, Shults said, may have to impose some of those cuts in the current fiscal year, which began July 1.
SRS also has proposed limiting eligibility for the state’s MediKan and General Assistance (GA) programs to 12 months, rather than the current 18 months.
Shults said MediKan and GA are especially vulnerable to being cut because they are neither federally funded nor protected by a federal mandate.
MediKan and GA eligibility is limited to disabled, childless adults with incomes below 27 percent of federal poverty guidelines. Maximum benefits are about $270 a month.
The two programs are meant to bridge the gap between a person becoming disabled and unable to work and qualifying for federal disability benefits.
Many MediKan and GA recipients are mentally ill and use their benefits to ensure access to their medications and avoid homelessness.
Glea Ashley, executive director at Valeo Behavioral Health Care in Topeka, said further spending cuts would be devastating.
"It will mean we will have to eliminate programs and services," Ashley said. "I can’t put any more of this on the backs of staff. We’ve already frozen salaries, we’ve left vacant positions open, we’ve increased workloads, and now we’re having to look at (cutting) health insurance and vacation days."
"It’s to the point where I’ve had some good long-time staff leave because they just can’t do it anymore," she said. "We’re seeing people jump ship, even with the economy the way it is. I have to ensure stability. The only thing left is for me is to turn to consumer programs."
-Dave Ranney is a staff writer for KHI News Service, which specializes in coverage of health issues facing Kansans. He can be reached at dranney@khi.org or at 785-233-5443, ext. 128.