The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act gave HHS the authority to add 10 states to the CCBHC Medicaid Demonstration program every two years, starting with the 10 being announced today

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), today welcomed 10 new states into the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Medicaid Demonstration Program, after they successfully developed the necessary state-level infrastructure and worked with providers in their states to develop programs that meet CCBHC standards: Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Vermont. The CCBHC Medicaid Demonstration Program provides states with sustainable funding that helps them expand access to mental health and substance use services, supporting President Biden’s Unity Agenda and the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to tackle the country’s mental health and addiction crises. The expansion of the program directly supports the President’s national strategy to transform our behavioral health system and builds on the Administration’s previous work to build a better crisis continuum of care, including through the transition to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, add a new mobile crisis benefit to Medicaid and new crisis codes to the Medicare program.

“Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics have significantly improved behavioral health treatment in our country, and today’s announcement will dramatically expand and improve access to equitable, quality care for Americans with serious mental health and substance use treatment needs,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Thanks to the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, we are adding 10 new states to this groundbreaking demonstration across the country, ensuring our CCBHCs can serve more Americans who need our help.” 

CCBHCs must ensure access to a comprehensive range of services, providing care coordination when needed and incorporating evidence-based practices and other supports based on a community needs assessment. This includes crisis services that are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. CCBHCs are also required to provide routine outpatient care within 10 business days.

“Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics serve anyone who requests care for mental health or substance use conditions. With sustainable funding, CCBHCs in participating states will now be able to connect more people to the care they need,” said HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm. “This is another example of our commitment at HHS to transforming behavioral health and ensuring all Americans have access to behavioral health resources.”

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), signed into law by President Joe Biden, gave HHS the authority to add 10 new states to the CCBHC Medicaid Demonstration program every two years, starting with the 10 being announced today. All of these states had previously received planning grants, including grants authorized by BSCA in 2022 to address the country’s behavioral health crisis. The 10 states added today join 8 states that are already currently in the CCBHC Medicaid Demonstration program: Michigan, Missouri, Kentucky, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, and Oregon. 

In March 2023, SAMHSA used BSCA funding to award 15 CCBHC state planning grants. The CCBHC planning phase assists states in certifying clinics as CCBHCs, establishing prospective payment systems for Medicaid reimbursable services, and preparing an application to participate in a four-year demonstration program. A notice of funding opportunity to award 15 additional states with planning grants is expected to be posted this summer for award early in Fiscal Year 2025, and 10 more states will have the opportunity to join the CCBHC Demonstration Program in Fiscal Year 2026. These expansions will build more CCBHCs across the country and, along with the SAMHSA CCBHC expansion grant program, will support increased adoption of this model. 

“For our communities to thrive, behavioral health, including mental health, needs to be prioritized,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “That requires an all-hands-on-deck approach, which is why it’s so encouraging to see more states support person- and community-centered solutions like CCBHCs. Aligned with the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to mental health, CCBHCs equip communities with the tools they need to tackle many of society’s most entrenched challenges – from substance use disorders and mental health crises to housing insecurity, public safety, and the more efficient use of our health care resources.”

“We’re pleased to welcome these 10 states in the CCBHC Medicaid Demonstration Program and look forward to adding more in the years to come. CCBHCs provide a model of care that supports wellness for the entire community and connects people to care. They guarantee access to services to individuals and families regardless of ability to pay,” said Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the leader of SAMHSA. “Equity is a significant and overarching priority in all that we do, and expanding and improving the CCBHC model across America helps us to continue our path forward to make quality behavioral health care for everyone even more widely available.” 

CCBHCs increase access to crisis and behavioral health care in the community. They have been shown to reduce homelessness and substance use among the people they serve and decrease use of emergency rooms and hospitalization. In September, HHS, through SAMHSA, awarded $127.7 million to expand CCBHCs across the U.S.

The CCBHC Demonstration Program provides reimbursement through Medicaid for the full cost of services that CCBHCs provide, at higher, more competitive rates than community mental health centers previously received for Medicaid eligible individuals. This sustainable funding also ensures CCBHCs can provide a more comprehensive range of services rather than fragmented services driven by separate billing codes.

CCBHCs were created to transform mental health and substance use treatment across the country and provide sustainable funding for robust community outpatient mental health treatment. They are required to meet federal standards for the range of services that they provide. CCBHCs offer a no-wrong-door approach because they must serve anyone who requests care for mental health or substance use conditions, regardless of their ability to pay, place of residence, or age. 

In 2017, the first CCBHCs were funded under Medicaid, with 67 clinics operating across eight states. Today, there are more than 500 CCBHCs across 46 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, most of which are supported through SAMHSA’s CCBHC Expansion Grant program. 

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. To learn how to get support for mental health, drug or alcohol issues, visit FindSupport.gov. If you are ready to locate a treatment facility or provider, you can go directly to FindTreatment.gov or call 800-662-HELP (4357). 

Reporters with questions should send inquiries to media@samhsa.hhs.gov. 

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