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State outlines progress on 11 near‑term BISFIG initiatives including tribal grants, residential expansions and court‑ordered evaluations
Summary
Department officials told the interim budget subcommittee the BISFIG commission and governor approved 11 near‑term initiatives to address immediate gaps; several have moved to implementation, including tribal grants, residential capacity grants, and a court‑ordered evaluation program.
Department staff reported progress on the 11 near‑term initiatives (NTIs) the BISFIG commission and governor approved to begin addressing immediate gaps while longer‑term reforms are planned and budgeted.
Megan Peel of DPHHS summarized the NTI selection criteria and status, telling lawmakers the goals were to target immediate, solvable gaps, use current agency resources when possible and build on existing programs. “We recommended and the governor approved 11 near‑term initiatives,” Peel said, and “they were intended to solve specific known or worsening problems within the behavioral health and developmental disability systems.”
Tribal and urban Indian grants: Staff said the department awarded up to $500,000 to each Montana tribe and urban Indian health organization that applied, primarily to support construction or renovation of culturally relevant treatment spaces and program expansion; award letters were sent in November and many projects involve facility work, transportation supports or data systems.
Residential capacity grants: The department reported it has distributed over $15,000,000 to increase residential capacity for behavioral health and developmental disability services. The grants targeted reopening beds closed in the prior five years, opening new beds and paying for deferred maintenance tied to resident health and safety. Briefing documents cited a decline in licensed therapeutic group homes for children from 45 (SFY2021) to 28 (SFY2023) and noted 254 youth were placed out of state in SFY2024.
Court‑ordered evaluations: A near‑term initiative to coordinate and pay for court‑ordered evaluations began in July; staff said DPHHS has arranged and paid for 41 evaluations since implementation and reduced the pending list from 41 (March 26, 2024) to 32 in the most recent check; the department reported most of those 32 already had evaluations scheduled.
Other NTI highlights included a statewide fair market rent reevaluation study conducted with the Department of Commerce (submitted to HUD), investments to launch occupational therapy doctorate and physician assistant educational tracks in state universities, family peer support pilots and workforce supports. Staff emphasized that NTIs are separate from the 10 long‑term recommendations now in the governor’s budget.
Ending: Officials said most NTIs are “on track,” that status sheets and links are publicly posted, and that the department will continue to report implementation progress to the committee.
