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House committee hears DMH request for $16.5M for First Steps; Medicaid enrollment requirement cited as federal shortfall driver
Summary
Department of Mental Health officials told the House Budget Committee they seek $16.5 million to expand First Steps early‑intervention services and to cover higher costs and caseload growth. Officials flagged a roughly $3 million federal shortfall caused by a federal requirement that individual First Steps providers enroll as Medicaid providers.
Department of Mental Health (DMH) officials told the House Budget Committee that demand for the First Steps early‑intervention program has risen and that FY25 needs include a $16.5 million increase to serve more infants and toddlers with developmental delays.
Why it matters: First Steps delivers early intervention services to children birth through age 3. DMH officials said the program produces better long‑term outcomes when children are reached early; at the hearing they also warned that missed capacity or funding gaps would create access constraints.
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