33-6-103 - Priority population Standards of care Funding Legislative intent.
33-6-103. Priority population Standards of care Funding Legislative intent.
(a) The department shall identify adults with severe disabling mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbance.
(b) Persons described in subsection (a) are a priority population for the department's mental health services and supports. The department shall set the array of services and supports for this priority population annually in its plan. The state will fund and the department will maintain the array of services and supports for persons in this priority population. Consistent with applicable eligibility requirements, the state may provide the funding for the services through the medicaid program or any waiver granted under the medicaid program, specifically including TennCare, other public funds, or private funds.
(c) It is the legislative intent that the department of mental health and developmental disabilities maintain the funding amount and the extent of services of the behavioral health safety net of Tennessee at least at the annualized levels provided as of January 1, 2009. In the event that appropriations to the department are not sufficient to continue funding these critical services at a level at least equivalent to the services currently being provided, then the department shall provide a report to the planning and policy council created by § 33-1-401 and the fiscal review committee created by § 3-7-101. The report shall identify all means the department intends to use to increase resources available.
[Acts 1994, ch. 861, §§ 1-4; T.C.A., § 33-1-208; Acts 2000, ch. 947, §§ 1, 6; 2002, ch. 730, § 30; 2009, ch. 95, § 3.]