Dear Providers:
At the direction of Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois Departments of Human Services (IDHS) and Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) are making every conceivable effort to strengthen the state’s behavioral health infrastructure, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The State FY22 Budget included the highest-ever investments in our Agencies to deliver critical services the people of our State deserve. And despite the resources made available by the Biden Administration and our State government, we know that this is an extraordinarily difficult time.
Pandemic-related investments, to date, have included unprecedented retention payments to providers across the social services spectrum and $26 million to behavioral health providers through MCO COVID relief efforts.
Given the ongoing workforce and public health challenges so many of you are facing, we wanted to share additional information about new resources being made available to stem your organization’s hardships and support the work you do. Staff leadership from our Departments will be in touch with even more details, but to start we wanted to share near-term investments that will be distributed to Behavioral Health providers across Illinois. Here is a snapshot:
Upcoming Sustainability Investments in Behavioral Health Providers
- $13M for FY’22 MH Medicaid Provider Sustainability Payments from ARPA Recovery Funds
- $27.4M for FY’22 SUPR Sustainability Payments from State and Federal Sources
- $25M for Expansion of Services in Underserved Areas and Underutilized Services from ARPA Home and Community Based Services enhanced Match
In addition, our agencies are exploring together how additional funding and/or rate increases could be leveraged for behavioral health providers, whether through ARPA funding or reinvestment of MCO quality withhold dollars.
We deeply value your expertise and your ongoing commitment to supporting the residents of Illinois to overcome obstacles and achieve their full potential. Thank you for your service and partnership. Please stay tuned for additional information.