Purpose

Explain and expand Minnesota's support for child mental health by creating grant programs to fund early childhood mental health services, and by modifying certain protections and service requirements related to home and community-based services, day treatment programs, and intensive rehabilitative mental health services. The bill also creates reporting requirements to track outcomes.

Main Provisions

• Grants for mental health support (Section 1)

  • The commissioner can award grants from available state funds to counties, Indian tribes, children's collaboratives, and mental health providers.
  • Eligible grant services include a broad set of child-focused mental health supports, such as:
  • Services for children with mental illness and their families
  • Transition services for young adults up to age 21 and their families
  • Respite care for children with mental illness or serious mental illness at risk of higher care
  • Children’s mental health crisis services
  • Mobile response and stabilization services for children, youth, and families
  • Mental health services for people from cultural and ethnic minority groups
  • School-linked mental health services
  • Building capacity for evidence-based practices
  • Screening, diagnostic follow-up, and treatment
  • Training on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma, plus an online resilience/resource site
  • Transition-age services for older youth (up to 26)
  • Early childhood mental health consultation
  • Psychiatric consultation for primary care providers
  • Grantees must help children function in their family and community and align services with each child’s treatment plan; transition-focused services should promote independent living for young adults.
  • Grantees must pursue available third-party reimbursement when possible.
  • The commission may pilot an expanded mobile response and stabilization model, including expert consultation to shape measurable outcomes and explore scaling via Medicaid state plan amendments.

• Early childhood mental health consultation grants (Section 2)

  • Establishment: The commissioner must create a grant program to support specialized mental health care for children aged five and younger.
  • Eligible applicants: Mental health clinics, community mental health centers, Indian health service facilities or tribal organizations, and providers of children’s therapeutic services and supports.
  • Allowable grant activities:
  • Provide early childhood mental health consultation to child care professionals to help them support young children with significant mental health needs
  • Train clinicians in evidence-based or evidence-informed practices for very young children and their caregivers (including train-the-trainer models)
  • Provide direct consultation to child care providers in licensed centers, Head Start, and licensed family child care settings
  • Family psychoeducation and individual/group family skills
  • Support and training to improve child care settings and family involvement
  • Funding rules: Grantees must seek all available third-party reimbursement when applicable.
  • Data collection and outcomes:
  • The commissioner must work with grantees to develop ongoing outcome measures and performance indicators.
  • Grantees must provide data on clients served, demographics, payor information, and client-related services (including hours of direct services and hours of consultation in child care settings); qualitative data may also be collected.
  • The commissioner must report annually (by July 1) to legislative chairs and ranking minority members on the number of grantees, numbers served, and funding usage, with the data showing how state and federal funds were used.
  • The reporting requirement expires July 30, 2037.
  • Timeline: Initial and ongoing reporting to lawmakers starting in 2027, with continued data collection and evaluation.

Changes to Existing Law

• Adds new grant programs and eligibility criteria to support child mental health services (Sections 1 and 2).
• Establishes and codifies an early childhood mental health consultation grants program (245.4908) with defined eligible providers and required activities.
• Expands funding and service delivery options for children’s mental health services, including school-linked services, crisis response, and transitional supports, and requires pursuit of third-party reimbursement where possible.
• Creates possible pilot programs and pathways to scale models through Medicaid state plan amendments.

Who is Affected

• Children and families, especially:
  • Children aged birth to five (for early childhood mental health consultation)
  • Children with mental illness or at risk of mental health challenges and their families
  • Young adults up to age 21 or 26 (for transition services)
  • Caregivers, child care professionals, and school personnel
  • Counties, Indian tribes, and providers of child mental health services
  • Mental health clinics, community mental health centers, and tribal/tribal organization facilities

Implementation and Oversight

• Administered by the Minnesota Commissioner of Human Services.
• May include pilot programs and collaboration with external experts to develop measurable outcomes.
• Data collection and program evaluation are required to monitor effectiveness and inform potential Medicaid expansion or statewide scaling.

Public Reporting and Data

• Grantees must provide quantitative data (clients served, demographics, payor information, services hours) and may provide qualitative data.
• A formal report on program activities and outcomes must be submitted annually to legislative chairs and ranking minority members of health-related committees, starting by July 1, 2027, with continued reporting through July 1, 2037.

Timeline Highlights

• Establishment and funding of grant programs under the new sections.
• Annual reporting beginning in 2027; data and program evaluation ongoing.
• Potential for Medicaid state plan amendments tied to expanded mobile response and stabilization services.

Potential Implications

• Increased access to specialized mental health supports for very young children and their families.
• Expanded roles for child care settings and early education providers in mental health care.
• Emphasis on evidence-based practices and trauma-informed approaches.
• Financial and administrative responsibilities for grant recipients, including pursuing third-party reimbursement.
• Possible long-term changes in how Minnesota delivers and funds child mental health services, including the possibility of Medicaid expansion for broader program coverage.

Relevant Terms - early childhood mental health consultation grants - children five years of age or younger - child care professionals - Head Start - licensed child care settings - family psychoeducation - evidence-based practices - trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) - mobile response and stabilization services - crisis services - school-linked mental health services - transition services (up to age 26) - respite care - mental illness - transition-age services - third-party reimbursement - Medicaid state plan amendment - commissioner's grant program - counties, Indian tribes, children's collaboratives - 245.4908 (new statutory section title) - 245.4889 (amended subdivision) - 256B.0947 (amended) - data collection and outcome measurement - annual reporting (July 1 deadline, through 2037)