Department of Mental Health requests $291.2 million in general funds for FY27, highlights IDD waiver enrollments and staffing needs

Wendy Bailey, executive director of the Department of Mental Health, told the Appropriations Committee the agency is seeking $291,247,156 in general funds for fiscal 2027 and $453,083,201 in spending authority for fee‑funded operations.

"We are requesting $291,247,156 in general funds," Bailey said, and described roughly $33.4 million in increased general‑fund requests from the current year and line‑item proposals to enroll people in waivers and shore up staffing and technology.

The agency asked for $5.8 million to enroll about 250 people from the IDD planning list into the home‑and‑community‑based waiver and $1.1 million to cover an anticipated FY27 rate increase tied to waiver services. Bailey told the committee the waiver is a joint partnership with the division of Medicaid and that 2,965 people currently receive waiver supports while about 2,600 remain on a planning list.

Bailey said the agency is also seeking $6.3 million to cover operational shortfalls at state‑operated 24/7 programs, citing a client population that has grown older and more clinically complex.…