Department of Health Care Access and Information unveils draft 2026–2030 Behavioral Health Services Act workforce plan

The Department of Health Care Access and Information presented its draft 2026–2030 Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) Workforce Education and Training (WET) plan in a public webinar, laying out five objectives to expand the licensed and non‑licensed behavioral health workforce and inviting public comment through May 29 ahead of a June review by the California Behavioral Health Planning Council.

Libby Abbott, deputy director for health workforce development, said the draft "is the product of many months of development with community members and partners" and urged listeners to submit feedback to help refine the plan. "We want to hear from you what your most important priorities are," Abbott said.

Why it matters: HAI officials said California has made large one‑time investments in behavioral health programs such as the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative and BH Connect, but county behavioral health systems — both county‑operated and county‑contracted providers — still face acute workforce shortages. HAI’s plan concentrates on three outcomes—supply, skills and diversity—to ensure the workforce can serve people with the most significant behavioral health needs.

Plan structure and immediate steps: The draft organizes work around five objectives: (1) upskilling the current workforce through competency definitions and gap analyses; (2) expanding education capacity for licensed professions and exploring alternative supervision; (3) scaling non‑licensed roles including peer support specialists and SUD counselors with integrated training‑to‑placement models; (4) creating early pipelines and stackable credentials for career advancement; and (5) addressing recruitment and retention. Anne Powell, a member of HAI’s behavioral health and policy branch, said HAI will "review, learn from, and build on" existing gap assessments and that the department is "not doing research for research sake."

Funding approach and coordination with BH Connect: HAI described four budget principles—maximize leverage of other funds, balance licensed and non‑licensed investments, make upfront systems investments, and aim for sustainability. Abbott emphasized HAI’s intent to coordinate with BH Connect, a larger statewide workforce initiative, and to observe the results of BH Connect’s first funding cycle (HAI noted an estimated $200 million for the first cycle) before committing BHSA funds to recruitment and retention. HAI also explained it has proposed three years of detailed allocations, with a midline assessment to inform years four and five.

Program examples and pilots: Officials described short‑term investments to prevent pipeline disruption (for example, existing stipends and social work education capacity programs) alongside longer‑term bundled approaches that combine curriculum alignment, scholarships, clinical stipends and placement supports. HAI said it will consider models such as apprenticeships and transition‑to‑practice for non‑licensed roles and referenced pilot programs including training fellowships and a UC Irvine primary care psychiatry fellowship.

Accountability and timeline: The department outlined a three‑pronged accountability plan — routine program monitoring and evaluation with baseline/midline/endline measures, a 15–20 member workforce advisory panel, and ongoing public engagement. The public comment window for the draft opened May 12 and closes May 29 at noon; HAI plans to take a revised plan to the California Behavioral Health Planning Council on June 19 for review and potential approval.

What stakeholders asked: During Q&A stakeholders pressed on curriculum costs and equity for schools that adopt revised graduate curricula, whether SUD workforce representation is included (HAI said SUD perspectives were included in engagement and will continue to be), how funding inclusion criteria will be set (not finalized; to be determined during implementation), and whether HAI intends to require a master’s‑level license for SUD professionals (HAI said exploring a license for SUD is exploratory only and the required level has not been set).

Next steps: HAI will accept public comment through the published form and other contact channels in the webinar materials, use feedback to revise the plan before the June planning council meeting, and carry out a midline evaluation to determine adjustments for the remaining WET plan period.