The California Board of Naturopathic Medicine received a fund-condition and revenue projection briefing from the Department of Consumer Affairs budget office on Oct. 8, 2025, during its public meeting in Sacramento and by Webex.

The board was shown figures the budget office said are based on actual data through fiscal month 13 and reported a beginning base budget of $755,000, actual spending of about $695,000 and a reversion to the board’s fund of roughly $60,000. For fiscal year 2024–25 the board ended with a reserve balance of $787,000, or about 12.9 months in reserve; the budget office’s projection for 2025–26 shows an ending balance of roughly $672,000, or about 10.8 months in reserve.

“The projections in this report are based on actual data through fiscal month 13,” Budget Analyst Kayla Van Lent said as she went through the attachment pages. She described revenue categories and noted the board’s receipts included approximately $100,000 from initial license fees, $521,000 in renewal fees and other smaller receipts for fines and delinquent fees in the prior year.

The presentation noted the projection assumes a conservative ongoing 3% increase to expenditures to capture likely personal‑service adjustments, including general salary increases, employee compensation and retirement rate adjustments. Susan Balchas, budget manager, and Van Lent told the board that those personnel adjustments are a major factor driving future expenditure increases.

Board staff and members flagged two items for follow up. Rebecca, a board staff member, noted a sharp increase in the board’s pro rata charge between fiscal years: “it jumps up to 215,000 … I just can’t imagine why it went up so much,” she said, and reported she had asked the budget office to explain what charges were included in that line item. The board agreed staff will seek detail from the budget office on what the pro rata line included in the larger years and reconcile that with the audit tables.

During questions, President Dara Thompson observed the fund condition is “improving” compared with prior reports that showed fewer months in reserve. Kayla Van Lent and Suzanne Balchas confirmed the current-year reversion increases reserves and that the budget office will continue to monitor actuals versus appropriations and report monthly as fiscal months close.

No formal board action was taken on the budget projections at the meeting. The budget office said it will keep communication lines open with board staff and return with monthly expenditure projections and any clarifying detail the board requests.

The board took no public comments on the budget presentation during the meeting.