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County staff say House, Senate budget amendments provide mixed support for mental health, childcare and CSB services
Summary
Human services staff summarized amendments affecting behavioral health, community services, childcare pilots, Children's Services Act reimbursement, and community paramedicine reimbursement work, noting some funding reductions and areas where the county must track operational impacts.
Ariel McAloon, human services legislative liaison, briefed the committee on health and human services provisions in the House and Senate budget amendments and highlighted items that could affect Fairfax County service delivery.
McAloon said the House and Senate significantly reduced the governor—s proposed funding for special conservators of the peace in hospitals, leaving only a small portion of the original request. She also said both chambers included funding targeted at Marcus Alert and related new programs but that the funds were aimed primarily at new sites rather than sustaining existing county programs: "The county would not receive support from that [Marcus Alert] funding," McAloon said, urging a more equitable approach so existing programs could be sustained.
Under the Children—s Services Act (CSA), McAloon reported that the governor proposed a cap on increases to state reimbursement for private day special education services beginning in fiscal 2026; the House removed the cap while the Senate retained it and assumed $9.9 million in savings statewide. McAloon said the county opposes the Senate approach because it would shift costs to localities.
Early childhood proposals included a $25 million public-private childcare pilot and a House effort to repurpose unused VPI slots to reduce the childcare subsidy wait list. McAloon flagged an unclear co-pay design for the pilot and said the county needs to analyze impacts on parents who may face different co-payment structures.
McAloon noted language in the Senate budget directing the Department of Medical Assistance Services to pursue a waiver to allow billing for outpatient behavioral health services in jails; she called that a positive step that could help the county bill Medicaid for certain services in the Adult Detention Center.
Other health and human services items discussed included House funding to Community Services Boards (CSBs) for prevention staff (a proposed $8 million) to replace expiring ARPA-funded programs, a House $8.7 million allocation to CSBs for additional support coordinators, and a $500,000 House grant to Virginia Department of Social Services to develop a child welfare workforce support program.
Committee members asked about next steps for evaluating impacts. McAloon said the county will coordinate with department staff to analyze language where the operational effects are not yet clear and will continue to press for statewide approaches that recognize existing local programs.
Why it matters: several proposals would change how behavioral health and early childhood programs are funded and implemented; some items could reduce local costs while others may shift additional costs to Fairfax County if state reimbursement is limited.
What to watch: staff said they will continue to monitor CSA reimbursement language, the outcome of the DMAS waiver request, and any clarifications that affect which local programs can access the new state funding.
