MHSA Transparency Glossary

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1991 Realignment (1991)

1991 Realignment refers to a funding source on the Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs) as displayed on the Fiscal Transparency tool. In 1991, the legislature realigned several health and social services programs from the state to the counties. To offset the added expenses to Counties, a fund was established to earmark portions of Vehicle License Fees (VLF) and Sales Tax revenues for the programs, known as 1991 Realignment. Like the Mental Health Service Act (MHSA), a County can establish a reserve of 1991 Realignment funds to be used in subsequent years.

California Realignment Act, AB 1288 (also known as the Bronzan-McCorquodale Act)

See also Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs)Behavioral Health Subaccount (BHSA)

3 Year Plans (3YP)

County Mental Health Service Act (MHSA) Three-Year Program and Expenditure Plans and Annual Updates are the primary sources for program descriptions in the MHSOAC Program Search Tool. County Mental Health Plans (MHP) are required to prepare and submit a Plan or Update to authorize MHSA programs and expenditures for services provided to clients each fiscal year. 3 Year Plans and Annual Updates must include plans for the following MHSA Components: Community Services and Supports (CSS), Prevention and Early Intervention, Innovative Programs, and Workforce Education and Training.

Welfare and Institutions Code Section (WIC), § 5847

See also Combined ProgramPrevention and Early Intervention (PEI)

A


Access and Linkage

Is a required Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) component program type. Access and Linkage programs are intended to connect children and adults to appropriate services as early in the onset of serious mental health conditions as possible, including, but not limited to, care provided by County mental health programs. Small counties may provide access and linkage services as part of a combined program under certain circumstances.

Mental Health Services Act, § 3726

See also Combined ProgramPrevention and Early Intervention (PEI)

Actual Expenditure

Actual refers to the reported expenditures from the Revenue and Expenditure Report (RER), which are reflected in the Fiscal Reporting Tool and as “actual” expenditures in program descriptions in the MHSOAC Program Search Tool. An expenditure could be recorded for service received in one fiscal year even if the payment is not made until the following fiscal year.

See also Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs)

Administrative Expenditures

Administrative Expenditures, as displayed on the MHSA Transparency Dashboard, refers to the combined cost incurred by the County for planning, evaluation, and administration of Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) programs and services, as listed on the Revenue and Expenditure Report (RER).

Adult

Per Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) Regulation Adults are defined in the MHSOAC Transparency Suite as any person between the ages of 26 and 59.

Mental Health Services Act, § 3560.010(5)(A)

See also Older AdultTransition Age Youth (TAY)

Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs)

County Mental Health Plans (MHP) are required each year to report on actual expenditures in their Mental Health Service Act (MHSA) programs, by program and funding source, under rules set by the Department of Health Care Services. These Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs) are due within six months of the close of the State fiscal year (June 30 of each year). RERs should reflect actual expenditures only on programs authorized for the fiscal year by an approved 3 Year Plan or Annual Update.

Mental Health Services Act, § 3510

See also 3 Year Plan (3YP)Mental Health Plan (MHP)

Annual Updates

1991 Realignment refers to a funding source on the Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs) as displayed on the Fiscal Transparency tool. In 1991, the legislature realigned several health and social services programs from the state to the counties. To offset the added expenses to Counties, a fund was established to earmark portions of Vehicle License Fees (VLF) and Sales Tax revenues for the programs, known as 1991 Realignment. Like the Mental Health Service Act (MHSA), a County can establish a reserve of 1991 Realignment funds to be used in subsequent years.

California Realignment Act, AB 1288 (also known as the Bronzan-McCorquodale Act)

See also Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs)Behavioral Health Subaccount (BHSA)

B


Behavioral Health Subaccount (BHSA)

Behavioral Health Subaccount (BHSA) refers to a funding source on the Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs) as displayed on the Fiscal Transparency tool. Also sometimes referred to as 2011 Realignment Funds, a portion of the funds distributed annually from the Behavioral Health Subaccount to each County are earmarked for providing Medi-Cal Specialty Mental Health Services, which require State matching funds to match against federal Medicaid funds for billable services.

Senate Bill 1020 (Chapter 40, Statutes of 2012)

See also 1991 RealignmentAnnual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs)

C


Calculations for MHSA Revenue, Expenditure and Closing Balance

Calculations for Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Revenue, Expenditure, and Closing Balance are determined by using information from the County’s Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs) fiscal year summary pages as a total and by each of the four MHSA Component categories. To see an example and diagram of the calculations, download the ” Calculations for MHSA Revenue, Expenditure and Closing Balance Diagram” file.

Capital Facilities and Technological Needs (CFTN)

This component provides funding to enhance the infrastructure needed to support implementation of the MHSA, which includes improving or replacing existing technology systems and/or developing capital facilities to meet increased needs of the local mental health system.

Mental Health Services Act, § 5847(b)(5)

See also Capital FacilityTechnological Need

Capital Facility

Funding for Capital Facilities (CF) is used to acquire, construct, and/or renovate facilities that provide services and/or treatment for those with severe mental illness or that provide administrative support to Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) funded programs.

See also Capital Facilities and Technological Needs (CFTN)

Child Welfare Involvement

This is a “special population” search filter option in the MHSOAC Program Search Tool. A program designated as serving a child welfare involvement special population is one that the County has identified in its target population narrative as designed to serve any Child or Transition Age Youth (TAY) client involved in the welfare system due to suspected abuse or neglect.

Child

Per Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) Regulation a Child is defined in the MHSOAC Transparency Suite as any person between the ages of 0 and 15.

Mental Health Services Act, § 3560.010(5)(A)

See also Transition Age Youth (TAY)

Client & Service Information and Data Collection Reporting Systems (CSI)

The Client & Service Information (CSI) is a client-level data system in which the Department of Health Care Services maintains County-submitted information about Community Services and Supports (CSS) clients in each County. The CSI, together with the Data Collection Reporting system (DCR), is the data source for the MHSOAC Full Service Partnership Outcomes Dashboard. Data are provided monthly by County mental health programs (MHPs) and summarized at the state level. The MHSOAC receives twice-annual updates of the CSI and DCR data from DHCS, which then are reflected in updates to the dashboard.

See also Data Collection Reporting (DCR)

Clients Tracked and Assessed

The MHSOAC Full Service Partnership outcomes dashboard includes a measure of the Percent of Clients Tracked and Assessed as a data quality indicator. Each continuing Full Service Partnership (FSP) partner-client should be assessed once every 90 days via the Quarterly Assessment (3M). Additionally, important status changes, such as a change in employment or housing, should be tracked via a Key Event Tracking (KET) form.

The outcomes dashboard displays statewide and by County for each fiscal year the percentage of FSP clients enrolled for at least 90 days in that year who received at least one 3M or at least one KET during the year.

See also Disenrollment ReasonsFull Service Partnership (FSP)Key Event Tracking (KET)Quarterly Assessment (3M)

Closing Balance

The Fiscal Reporting Tool reports by Mental Health Service Act (MHSA) component and fiscal year for each County an end-of-year balance. The Closing Balance is the Unspent Funds in the Local MHS Fund reported by the County in its Annual Revenue and Expenditure Report (RER) for each MHSA component. Currently, the RERs provide fund balance statements only for County distributions specifically from Mental Health Service Act funds (including any interest earned). The RERs do not reflect fund balances for other funding sources used in MHSA programs, such as State-Local Realignment Funds received by the Counties for mental health (1991 Realignment or the Behavioral Health Subaccount/2011 Realignment) or for “Other Funds” (other, miscellaneous funding sources).

The Closing Balance displayed in the Fiscal Reporting Tool is the cash balance held by each County outside of its MHSA “Prudent Reserve” account.

See also Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs)Prudent Reserve

Closing Balance as a % of Revenue

Closing Balance as a % of Revenue is displayed in the Fiscal Reporting Tool. It is the Closing Balance displayed as a percentage of the County’s current-year Mental Health Service Act (MHSA) revenue. For example, if a County received $1.5 million in revenue and had a closing balance of $1 million, the closing balance would be 100*($1 million/$1.5 million), or 66.6% of the current year’s revenue.

See also Closing BalanceRevenue

Closing Balance as Months of Revenue

Closing Balance as Months of Revenue is displayed in the Fiscal Reporting Tool. It is the Closing Balance displayed in terms of the number of months of Mental Health Service Act (MHSA) revenue, relative to the County’s current-year average monthly MHSA revenue. For example, if a Mental Health Plan (MHP) received $1.5 million in MHSA revenue during the year, its average monthly revenue would by $1.5 million/12, or $125,000 per month. If it had a closing balance of $1 million, the closing balance would represent $1 million/$125,000 or 8 months of the current year’s revenue.

See also Closing BalanceRevenue

Combined Program

The MHSA Program Search Tool reports some County programs as “Combined Programs,” based on how Counties have reported program information in their 3 Year Plans and Annual Updates. The two most frequent uses of Combined Program are for the combined reporting of Full Service Partnership (FSP) and non-FSP program activities under Community Services and Supports (CSS), and for the Combined Program type permitted within the Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) component, respectively.

Under the Mental Health Service Act (MHSA) regulations, Counties are required to include in their 3 Year Plans and Annual Updates a separate workplan for each proposed program or service. Regulations identify four service categories under CSS and seven program/strategy categories under Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI). Small Counties may combine required Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) programs into a PEI Combined Program under certain circumstances. Regulations do not specifically address combining program service categories under CSS. In some cases, Counties have elected to report some CSS programs as a combination of program service types. Additionally, State guidance has allowed some Counties to combine the CSS Outreach & Engagement program service type with the PEI Outreach for Increasing Recognition of Early Signs of Mental Illness program type.

Finally, the MHSA Program Search Tool uses the concept “Major Program” to denote County-identified “workplans” or clusters of programs, typically with a single budget line item, but encompassing multiple, named programs with different objectives and target populations. The MHSA Program Search Tool treats Major Programs as distinct from Combined Programs.

See also Community Services and Supports (CSS), Major Program, Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI), Programs

Community Services and Supports (CSS)

The Community Services and Supports (CSS) component is the largest component of Mental Health Service Act (MHSA) programming by funding. Counties receive 76 percent of their MHSA funds as CSS funding. These funds are designed to address the unmet needs of adults with Severe Mental Illness (SMI) and children and youth with Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED). CSS consists of four program service types: Full Service Partnerships (FSP), General System Development, Outreach and Engagement, and the MHSA Housing Program. A portion of CSS funds may be transferred each year to fund Workforce Education and Training (WET), Capital Facilities and Technological Needs (CFTN), or the Prudent Reserve.

Counties must spend CSS funds by within 3 fiscal years of 5 fiscal years for Counties with populations under 200,000.

Mental Health Services Act, § 3200.08

See also Full Service Partnership (FSP)Non-FSP

Criminal Justice Involvement

A state of being involved with the Criminal Justice system (e.g., jail, prison, courts, diversion programs and so on) as a someone who is incarcerated, is on probation, has been convicted. This is a “special population” search filter option in the MHSOAC Program Search Tool. A program designated as serving a Criminal Justice Involvement special population is one that the County has identified in its target population narrative as designed to serve individuals with mental health needs who are or have been involved in the juvenile justice or criminal justice system.

Crisis line

The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) defines a crisis line as a direct service delivered via telephone that provides a person who is experiencing distress with immediate support and/or facilitated referrals.

Criteria Not Met

Criteria Not met is one of nine reasons a client’s participation in a Full Service Partnership (FSP) may end as defined by Department of Health Care Services (DCHS) FSP Key Event Tracking (KET) assessment. An FSP partner is disenrolled (discharged from the FSP) as Criteria Not Met when the County identifies the client as no longer meeting the acceptance criteria to be enrolled in that program. In most cases this is due to determination that the client does not have Severe Mental Illness (SMI) or Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED).

See also Disenrollment ReasonsFull Service Partnership (FSP)

D


Data Available

County fiscal year data is included in the MHSA Transparency Suite when the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (MHSOAC) has received an approved County Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs) from the Department of Health Care Services (DCHS) and updates the data. The MHSOAC updates data in the Transparency Suite regularly.

See Data Not Available

Data Collection Reporting (DCR)

The Data Collection Reporting (DCR) System is a client-level data system in which the Department of Health Care Services(DHCS) maintains County-submitted information about Full Service Partnership (FSP) clients. The DCR, together with DHCS’s Client & Service Information (CSI) System, is the data source for the MHSOAC Full Service Partnership Outcomes Dashboard. Data is provided monthly by County mental health programs (MHPs) and summarized at the state level. The MHSOAC receives twice-annual updates of the DCR and CSI data from DHCS, which then are reflected in updates to the dashboard.

See also Client & Service Information (CSI)

Data Not Available

County fiscal year data is included in the Transparency Suite when the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (MHSOAC) has received an approved County Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs) from the Department of Health Care Services (DCHS). The MHSOAC updates data in the Transparency Suite regularly. A County may be designated Data Not Available for any one of several reasons, including the MHSOAC’s update cycle, or because DHCS has not approved a County-submitted report or the County has not yet submitted the report.

See also Data Available

Detained

Detained is one of nine reasons a client’s participation in a Full Service Partnership (FSP) may end as defined by Department of Health Care Services (DCHS) FSP Key Event Tracking (KET) assessment. An FSP partner is disenrolled (discharged from the FSP) as Detained when the County identifies the client as being held in custody by law enforcement.

See also Disenrollment ReasonsFull Service Partnership (FSP)

Disenrollment Reasons

The MHSOAC Full Service Partnership outcomes dashboard provides information on the distribution of reasons that Full Service Partner clients ended their participation, statewide and by County. Disenrollment is when a County determines that a client is no longer enrolled in a Full Service Partnership (FSP).

Disenrollment reasons include the client having met goals identified by the client, or other reasons, such as the client having moved out of the County’s jurisdiction, the client having died, Institutionalized or been incarcerated, the County or program having lost contact with the client, or other reasons.

The dashboard displays Disenrollment Reasons statewide by fiscal year and for individual Counties for the period 2012-2017.

Statewide, the display is the number of FSP clients who disenrolled in each display category during the selected fiscal year as a percentage of all FSP clients who disenrolled during that fiscal year.

For each County, the display is the number of FSP clients who disenrolled in each display category during the 2012-13 through 2016-17 fiscal years as a percentage of all FSP clients who disenrolled from an FSP program in that County during the same period.

See also Criteria Not MetDetainedFull Service Partnership (FSP)Lost ContactMet GoalMovedPartner Discontinued

E


Early Intervention

Early Intervention is a required program type within the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) component. These programs provide treatment and other services and interventions, including relapse prevention, to address and promote recovery and related functional outcomes for a mental illness early in its emergence. Early Intervention program services generally are limited to no more than 18 months. Under certain conditions, an Early Intervention program may be combined with other PEI program types.

Mental Health Services Act, §3710(b)

See also Combined ProgramPrevention and Early Intervention (PEI)Prevention

Expenditure

Expenditure presented here represents costs in Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) funded programs from various funding sources. Counties are required to report as expenditures the costs of any goods or services received during the reporting period, whether those costs have yet been paid or invoiced. Hence, reported expenditures do not include contractual encumbrances or other obligations for future expenditure.

Unless otherwise indicated, Expenditures (Planned or Actual) reported in the Transparency Suite are total expenditures from all funding sources for the selected fiscal year.

See also Actual ExpenditurePlanned Expenditures

F


Federal Financial Participation (FFP)

FFP is a funding source on the Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs) as displayed on the Fiscal Transparency tool. FFP refers to the expenditure reimbursement a Mental Health Plan (MHP) receives for providing Medi-Cal specialty mental health services. This funding is California’s Medicaid program. Medi-Cal is financed equally by the state and federal government. The amount reimbursed varies by the service provided.

See also Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RER)Medi-Cal

Financial Incentive

Financial Incentive Programs is a program category of the Workforce Education and Training (WET) component of the 3 Year Plan that funds stipends, scholarships and the Mental Health Loan Assumption Program for the purpose of recruiting and retaining Public Mental Health System employees.

Mental Health Services Act, § 3200.125

See also Workforce Education and Training (WET)

Fiscal Reversion

Current law specifies that, other than Prudent Reserve dollars, Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) funds allocated to a County Mental Health Plan (MHP) must be spent within specified timeframes or shall revert to the State for reallocation to other Counties in future years. Community Services and Supports (CSS), Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI), and Innovation (INN) components must be spent within three years (or within five years for Counties with population 200,000 or less). Other Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) components must be spent within ten years of allocation.

Mental Health Services Act, § 5892.1

Fiscal Year (FY)

Program planning and the reporting of Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) expenditures is based on the State fiscal year, which begins on July 1st and ends on June 30th of the following calendar year. For example, the fiscal year 2015-16 began on July 1st 2015 and ended on June 30th 2016.

Full Service Partnership (FSP)

This is a program category within Community Services and Supports (CSS). The FSP program philosophy is to do “whatever it takes” to help individuals achieve their goals, including recovery, by providing a full spectrum of community services and supports, as determined collaboratively with the partner-client. The services provided may include, but are not limited to, mental health treatment, housing, medical care, vocational training, and crisis support.

Mental Health Services Act,§ 3200.130

See also Community Services and Supports (CSS)

I


Improving Timely Access

This is an optional program type within the Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) component. Improving Timely Access to Services for Underserved Populations means to increase the extent to which an individual or family from an underserved population who needs mental health services because of risk or presence of a mental illness receives appropriate services as early in the onset as practicable, through program features such as accessibility, cultural and language. Counties are required to include Improving Timely Access strategies in each program offered in the PEI component and may also provide a separate, stand-alone Improving Timely Access program.

Mental Health Services Act, §3735(2)(A)

See also Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI)

Innovation (INN)

This refers to time-limited projects funded under the Innovation component of the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) . The component provides California the opportunity to develop, test and scale new approaches to service delivery, with the goal of significantly improving mental health services and their outcomes. Five percent of County MHSA revenue each year is reserved for funding Innovative Projects. An Innovative Project has a maximum duration of five years and must be approved both locally and by the MHSOAC before a County may expend Innovation Funds.

Mental Health Services Act, § 3200.182

Interest

By law, each County Mental Health Plan (MHP) must deposit all funds received from the State Mental Health Services Fund into a Local Mental Health Services Fund, which must be invested similarly to all other County funds. Interest earned on balances must be treated as new Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) revenue, divided appropriately across MHSA funding categories.

Interest earnings are reported as revenue within the reporting period during which it was earned.

K


Key Event Tracking (KET)

This is a Full Service Partnership (FSP) administrative tracking report. A County is to submit a KET to the CA Department of Health Care Services Data Collection Reporting system (DCR) whenever any of several “key events” occur for a Full Service Partnership (FSP) client. The form covers specific life domains such as, residential status, employment, emergency room visits, arrests, and discontinuance from the program. There is no limit to the number of KET forms that can be completed

See also Data Collection Reporting system (DCR)

L


LGBTQ

This is a target population search filter option in the MHSOAC Program Search Tool. A program designated by the County as serving persons identifying with a gender identity other than the binary options of Female or Male, or a sexual orientation other than heterosexual would be tagged as LGBTQ. The initials denote Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer, but the search filter encompasses both sexual orientation and gender identity categories.

Counties are required annually to report for each Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) component program the numbers of individuals served who identify in each of several sexual orientation categories and each of several gender identity categories.

Lost Contact

Lost contact is one of nine reasons a client’s participation in a Full Service Partnership (FSP) may end as defined by Department of Health Care Services (DCHS) FSP Key Event Tracking (KET) assessment. An FSP partner is disenrolled (discharged from the FSP) as Lost Contact when the County identifies the client as one for whom repeated attempts to locate a Full Service Partnership (FSP) client are made, and the FSP provider is unable to locate the partner.

See also Disenrollment ReasonsFull Service Partnership (FSP)

M


Major Program

This is a keyword that may be used to search for clusters of associated programs in Counties in the MHSOAC Program Search Tool. Counties have elected to cluster some programs together as a group for budgetary purposes, but provide further details for programs within the cluster separately. The Mental Health Oversight and Accountability Commission (MHSOAC) has labeled these program clusters as “Major Programs.” For example, in a 3 Year Plan a County may provide at least a unique name, description, and target population for each of five Early Intervention programs, but no separate budget for each. Instead, the County has reported one line item in the budget for a named cluster of Early Intervention programs. The MHSOAC has sought to identify each named cluster of programs as a Major Program and the members of the cluster as Programs within the Major Program in the MHSOAC Program Search Tool.

Major Program is not a term defined in current regulations, and is distinct from Combined Program, which is defined for Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) component programs.

See also 3 Year Plan (3YP)Combined ProgramPrograms

Medi-Cal

Medi-Cal is a program that offers free or low-cost health coverage for children and adults with limited income and resources. Many Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) programs are financed through blended funding, including Medi-Cal Federal Financial Participation (FFP) reimbursements for medically necessary Specialty Mental Health Services. Mental health benefits covered through Medi-Cal can be found https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/Documents/Benefits_Chart.pdf.

See also Federal Financial Participation (FFP)

Medi-Cal Comparisons Dashboard

DHCS generated count of total active Medi-Cal clients in aid codes eligible for Short-Doyle/Medi-Cal II (SD/MC II) claims during fiscal years 14/15 through 17/18. Data is downloaded from the MHS Dashboard Adult Demographic Datasets and Report Tool.

https://data.chhs.ca.gov/dataset/adult-ab470-datasets
https://data.chhs.ca.gov/dataset/child-youth-ab470-datasets

Mental Health Plan (MHP)

The MHSOAC Transparency Suite uses “County” and “Mental Health Plan” interchangeably. In California, Medi-Cal mental health waivers establish MHPs as the agencies responsible for providing psychiatric inpatient hospital and outpatient Specialty Mental Health Services within their regions. The 59 County MHPs include 57 County regions (including Sutter and Yuba Counties combined as one region) along with two city regions-the City of Berkeley and Tri-City (Pomona, Claremont, and La Verne within Los Angeles County), respectively.

Under the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), Mental Health Plans also are the local administrative agencies for MHSA-funded programs. These agencies develop 3 Year Plans and Annual Updates and are responsible for other MHSA reporting, including the Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs) used in the MHSA Transparency Suite.

Met Goals

Met Goals is one of nine reasons a client’s participation in a Full Service Partnership (FSP) may end as defined by Department of Health Care Services (DCHS) FSP Key Event Tracking (KET) assessment. An FSP partner is disenrolled (discharged from the FSP) as Met Goals when the County identifies the client as having successfully met his or her individual goals such that discharge of Full Service Partnership (FSP) is appropriate.

See also Disenrollment ReasonsFull Service Partnership (FSP)

MH Career Pathways

This is a financial reporting category on the MHSA Overview within the Fiscal Reporting Tool. The Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Combined Total refers to the sum of a Mental Health Plan’s (MHP) MHSA Closing Balance and MHSA Prudent Reserve balance. The combined total demonstrates the total MHSA reserves a County has available upon the close of each fiscal year.

Mental Health Services Act, § 3200.215

See also 3 Year Plan (3YP)Workforce Education and Training (WET)

MHSA Combined Total

This is a financial reporting category on the MHSA Overview within the Fiscal Reporting Tool. The Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Combined Total refers to the sum of a Mental Health Plan’s (MHP) MHSA Closing Balance and MHSA Prudent Reserve balance. The combined total demonstrates the total MHSA reserves a County has available upon the close of each fiscal year.

Counties are required to hold a portion of their MHSA funds in a “Prudent Reserve” account. These funds are available for expenditure only upon certification of extraordinary financial circumstances by the Department of Health Care Services. County MHSA funds not placed in the Prudent Reserve must be spent within three years of allocation (five years for Counties with 200,000 or lower population), or 10 years for Workforce Education and Training (WET) and Capital Facilities and Technological Needs (CFTN) funds.

See also Prudent Reserve

MHSA Housing Program

This is a Community Services and Supports (CSS) program category, although funds for these programs are reported separately from other CSS programs in the Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs). The Transparency Suite groups MHSA Housing Program expenditures with Other MHSA, not with CSS. The MHSA Housing Program provides funding for capital costs and an operating subsidy for the development of permanent supportive housing for individuals with serious mental illness and who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Affordable housing with necessary supports has proven effective in assisting individuals in their recovery.

Mental Health Services Act, § 5890(f)

See also Community Service and Supports (CSS)Other MHSA

Moved

Moved is one of nine reasons a client’s participation in a Full Service Partnership (FSP) may end as defined by Department of Health Care Services (DCHS) FSP Key Event Tracking (KET) assessment. An FSP partner is disenrolled (discharged from the FSP) as Moved when the County identifies the client as no longer residing within the County.

See also Disenrollment ReasonsFull Service Partnership (FSP)

N


Non-FSP

This is a program category within Community Services and Supports (CSS) available as a search filter in the MHSOAC Program Search Tool. Non-FSP refers to all CSS programs other than Full Service Partnerships (FSPs) and the MHSA Housing Program, as listed on the Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs). Non-FSPs include the General System Development and Outreach and Engagement service categories.

See also Community Services and Supports (CSS)Full Service Partnership (FSP)

O


Older Adult

Per Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) Regulation Older Adults are defined in the MHSOAC Transparency Suite an individual 60 years of age and older.

Mental Health Services Act,§ 3560.010(5)(A)

See also Adult

Other Disenrollment

Full Service Partnetship (FSP) exit codes in the “other” category include partners who moved or were deceased.

See also Full Service Partnership (FSP)Moved

Other Funds

This is a funding source on the Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs) as displayed on the Fiscal Reporting Tool. Other Funds is a residual category including any funding sources not otherwise identified. It may include local revenue sources and federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant funding, for example. Prior to Fiscal Year 2016-17, many Counties included Federal Financial Participation (FFP) reimbursements in this category. Beginning in Fiscal Year 2016-17, Counties were required to separately report FFP reimbursements as expenditures for programs and components on their Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs).

See also Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs)Federal Financial Participation (FFP)

Other MHSA

This is a program category shown in the Transparency Suite. The MHSA Transparency Dashboard displays numbers of programs, program expenditures and administrative expenditures as Other MHSA all programs within the MHSA Housing Program, WET Regional Partnership, and Training, Technical Assistance and Capacity Building (TTACB) categories.

The Fiscal Reporting Tool currently also includes in Other MHSA the Workforce Education and Training (WET) and Capital Facilities and Technological Needs (CFTN) component categories. Conversely, the MHSA Transparency Dashboard breaks out WET and CFTN as separate categories.

See also Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs)

Outreach

Outreach for Increasing Recognition of Early Signs of Mental Illness (Outreach) is a required program type within the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) component. As a search filter option in the MHSOAC Program Search Tool, Outreach refers specifically to PEI programs and does not include the Outreach and Engagement service category within Community Services and Supports (CSS), which are classified as Non-FSP Programs. Under certain conditions, small Counties may combine Outreach with other PEI program types in a Combined Program.

Additionally, some Counties have chosen to combine Outreach for Increasing Recognition activities with Outreach and Engagement activities in a Combined Program spanning MHSA funding from both the CSS and PEI components.

Outreach is a process of engaging, encouraging, educating, and/or training, and learning from potential responders about ways to recognize and respond effectively to early signs of potentially severe and disabling mental illness.

Mental Health Services Act, §3715(b)

See also Combined ProgramPrevention and Early Intervention (PEI)

P


Partner

The State adopted the term, “partner” to refer to the client participating in a Full Service Partnership (FSP) program.

See Full Service Partnership (FSP)

Partner Discontinued

Partner discontinued is one of nine reasons a client’s participation in a Full Service Partnership (FSP) may end as defined by Department of Health Care Services (DCHS) FSP Key Event Tracking (KET) assessment. An FSP partner is disenrolled (discharged from the FSP) as Partner Discontinued when the County determines that the FSP client has ceased to participate in the FSP before goals were met.

See also Disenrollment ReasonsFull Service Partnership (FSP)

Partnership

Relationship between the client or partner and the Full Services Partnership program in which they are enrolled. In FSP programs, clients have a unique relationship with a multi-disciplinary intensive care team, and services are provided within a case-management framework.

See Full Service Partnership (FSP)

Partnership Assessment Form (PAF)

The Partnership Assessment Form (PAF) is the initial intake data collected when a client is enrolled into a Full Service Partnership (FSP). Data is collected on partners’ residential status, education, employment, sources of financial support, legal issues, emergency information, health information, and substance use status.

See also the Data Collection Reporting (DCR)Full Service Partnership (FSP)Quarterly Assessment (3M)

Percent in Poverty

Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) funds are distributed to Counties according to an allocation formula tied to each County’s estimated share of need for MHSA services. A central part of that estimated need is the population living in poverty in the County, which also is the main determinant of eligibility for Medi-Cal. Percent in Poverty is defined by the California Department of Health Care Services as 200% of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL) as issued yearly by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The MHSA Transparency Dashboard displays the Percent in Poverty statewide and for each County. It also links to the Information Notices published by the Department of Health Care Services that define the allocation formula for MHSA fund distribution to the Counties.

Planned Expenditure

This is a data display category in program search results in the MHSOAC Program Search Tool. Planned Expenditure is the budgeted expenditure from all funding sources for a program or activity as stated in the County’s approved 3 Year Plan (3YP) or Annual Update. It contrasts with Actual Expenditure, which is the County’s expenditure for a program or activity as stated in the County’s submitted Annual Revenue and Expenditure Report (RER).

See also 3 Year Plan (3YP)Actual ExpenditureAnnual UpdateAnnual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs)

Prevention

Prevention is a required program type within the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) component. Prevention programs are activities to reduce risk factors for developing a potentially serious mental illness and to build protective factors. The goal of a Prevention program is to reduce the number of individuals who experience a serious mental illness (SMI) or serious emotional disturbance (SED) for children that becomes severe and disabling.

Under some circumstances, a County may combine a Prevention program with an Early Intervention program. Counties with population 200,000 or fewer may under some circumstances combine Prevention programs with other PEI program types.

Mental Health Services Act, § 3720(b)

See also Combined ProgramPrevention and Early Intervention (PEI)

Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI)

This is a program component area of the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA). The goal of the Prevention & Early Intervention (PEI) component of the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) is to help counties implement services that promote wellness, foster health, and prevent the suffering that can result from untreated mental illness. Counties in most circumstances are required to have at least one stand-alone program for five PEI program types: Early Intervention; Outreach for Increasing Recognition of Early Signs of Mental Illness (Outreach); Prevention; Access and Linkage to Treatment; and Stigma and Discrimination Reduction. Counties optionally may also fund stand-alone Suicide Prevention programs and Programs to Improve Timely Access to Services for Underserved Groups (Improving Timely Access).

Mental Health Services Act,§ 3200.245

See also Access and LinkageEarly InterventionImproving Timely AccessOutreachPreventionStigma & Discrimination ReductionSuicide Prevention

Programs

This is the fundamental unit of service delivery under the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA). Each County is required to prepare a Three-Year Program and Expenditure Plan (3 Year Plan) and Annual Updates to the 3 Year Plan in intervening years, to authorize MHSA expenditures on identified programs within each MHSA component.

The Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) regulations define a “program” as “a stand-alone organized and planned work, action or approach that evidence indicates is likely to bring about positive mental health outcomes either for individuals and families with or at risk of serious mental illness or for the mental health system.”

The MHSOAC Program Search Tool identifies programs as including at least the following information in a County 3 Year Plan or Annual Update: a program name, program description and program target population. Additionally, PEI programs are required to specify intended outcomes and metrics for measuring changes in intended outcomes. Most programs also include the following information: planned expenditures, planned clients served, and outcomes.

Unlike the MHSOAC Program Search Tool, the MHSA Transparency Dashboard programs are identified based on listed program names with expenditures on the Counties’ Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs).

See also 3 Year Plans (3YP)Annual Updates, Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs)Combined ProgramMajor Program

Protected Health Information (PHI)

State and federal law require various entities to protect the private information of individuals receiving physical or mental health care. Special protections are applied to all “individually identifiable health information”, including demographic data, that relates to the individual’s characteristics and treatment, past, present or future. In presenting information about clients and client outcomes in the Transparency Suite, the MHSOAC has aggregated or suppressed display of information about small groups of individuals to minimize the likelihood that any individual’s data can be reidentified from displayed information.

Prudent Reserve

This is a data display category in the Fiscal Reporting Tool, drawn from the Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs). Each County is required to maintain a Prudent Reserve, which is not subject to reversion, in its local Mental Health Services Fund to ensure that the County can continue to serve the same number of consumers during years in which revenues for the Mental Health Services Fund are insufficient as they served prior to the drop in revenues. The Prudent Reserve is separate from any unspent Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) funds the County may hold from prior years. Prudent Reserve funds are available for expenditure only upon certification of extraordinary financial circumstances by the Department of Health Care Services.

Mental Health Services Act, § 5847(b)(7)

See also Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs)

Q


Quarterly Assessment (3M)

This is an assessment form used within Full Service Partnerships (FSP). It is one of two assessment forms (with the Key Event Tracking (KET) form) tracked in the MHSOAC Full Service Partnership outcomes dashboard. The Quarterly Assessment (3M) is to be completed every 3 months for Full Service Partnership (FSP) clients for the duration of active partnerships, once a partnership is established. 3Ms provide status updates to data collected in the Partnership Assessment Form (PAF).

See Full Service Partnership (FSP)Key Event Tracking (KET)Partnership Assessment Form (PAF)

R


Residency and Internship

Residency and Internship Programs is a program category of the Workforce Education and Training (WET) component of the 3 Year Plans and Annual Updates that funds psychiatric residency programs and post-secondary mental health internship programs in order to increase the number of licensed and/or certified individuals employed in the Public Mental Health System.

Mental Health Services Act,§  3200.256

See also 3 Year Plan (3YP)Annual Updates, Workforce Education and Training (WET)

Revenue

The Fiscal Reporting Tool displays information on Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) related Revenue reported in County Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs), including MHSA fund distributions and local interest earnings on those distributions and unspent MHSA funds from prior years. Counties are required to base their 3 Year Plans and Annual Updates on unspent funds held over from prior years (Closing Balance) and estimates of new revenue to be received during the period covered by the plan or update. Transfers from a County’s Prudent Reserve into local MHSA component accounts also are treated as revenue in the year in which they are transferred for the purpose of calculating fiscal reversion. Funds in the State MHSA fund are distributed to County Mental Health Plans (MHP) on a monthly basis in accordance with the Department of Health Care Services’ allocation method determination.

See also 3 Year Plan (3YP)Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs)Annual UpdatesClosing BalanceFiscal Reversion

S


Serious Mental Illness (SMI)

The Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) was designed to increase the availability of effective services to persons with serious mental illnesses, reduce the negative consequences of those illnesses, and prevent the emergence of serious mental illnesses. “Serious mental illness,” “serious mental disorder” and “severe mental illness” as used in the Prevention and Early Intervention regulations means a mental illness that is severe in degree and persistent in duration, which may cause behavioral functioning which interferes substantially with the primary activities of daily living, and which may result in an inability to maintain stable adjustment and independent functioning without treatment, support, and rehabilitation for a long or indefinite period of time. These mental illnesses include, but are not limited to, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as major affective disorders or other severely disabling mental disorders.

Mental Health Services Act, §3701

Service Days

This is a measure used in the MHSOAC Full Service Partnership outcomes dashboard in the calculation of clients served by age group.

Statewide, the outcomes dashboard displays how many clients were served in an FSP in each fiscal year by age group as the number of days served for individuals in a given age group divided by the total number of days served across all age groups in the state for that fiscal year, shown as a percentage.

At the County level, the dashboard displays the total number of service days received by individuals in each client age group in that County during 2012-2017 divided by total number of service days for all age groups provided in that County during 2012-2017, shown as a percentage. This calculation accounts for varying rates of turnover in clients served in each age category to provide a standardized measure of how FSP services are apportioned across the age groups.

See also AdultChildFull Service Partnership (FSP)Older AdultTransition Age Youth (TAY)

Specialty Mental Health Services

The Medi-Cal Specialty Mental Health Services Program is “carved-out” of the broader Medi-Cal program and is also administered by the Department of Health Care Services (Department) under the authority of a waiver approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The Department contracts with a Mental Health Plan (MHP) in each county to provide or arrange for the provision of Medi-Cal specialty mental health services. All MHPs are county mental health departments.

Specialty mental health services are Medi-Cal entitlement services for adults and children that meet medical necessity criteria, which consist of having a specific covered diagnosis, functional impairment, and meeting intervention criteria.

The following Medi-Cal specialty mental health services are provided for children and adults: Adult Crisis Residential Services, Adult Residential Treatment Services, Crisis Intervention, Crisis Stabilization, Day Rehabilitation, Day Treatment Intensive, Intensive Care Coordination, Intensive Home Based Services, Medication Support, Psychiatric Health Facility Services, Psychiatric Inpatient Hospital Services, Targeted Case Management, Therapeutic Behavioral Services &Therapy and Other Service Activities.

See also Medi-Cal

Stigma & Discrimination Reduction

This is a required program type within the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) component. Stigma and Discrimination Reduction programs fund the County’s direct activities to reduce negative feelings, attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, stereotypes and/or discrimination related to being diagnosed with a mental illness, having a mental illness, or to seeking mental health services and to increase acceptance, dignity, inclusion, and equity for individuals with mental illness, and members of their families.

Mental Health Services Act, § 3725(b)

See also Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI)

Suicide Cause of Injury

Suicide cause of injury are classified in accordance with the International Classification of Disease (ICD) codes. Deaths for 1999 and beyond are classified using the Tenth Revision of ICD (ICD-10). The ICD-10 codes used are: X60 – X84, Y870.

Suicide Prevention

This is an optional program type within the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) component. Suicide is one of the seven negative outcomes associated with mental illness identified by the MHSA as an intended outcome to be reduced. Suicide Prevention Programs means organized activities that the County undertakes to prevent suicide as a consequence of mental illness.

Mental Health Services Act, § 3730(b)

See also Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI)

Suicide Rate

Suicide rate is defined as suicide incidences per 100,000 people. Per California Department of Public Health’s instruction, no rate is calculated if the suicide incidences are less than 20.

T


Technological Need

Funding for Technological Needs (TN) is to be used to fund County technology projects with the goal of improving access to and delivery of mental health services.

See also Capital Facility and Technological Needs (CFTN)

Training and Technical Assistance

Training and Technical Assistance is a program category within the Workforce Education and Training (WET) component of the 3 Year Plans and Annual Updates. Training and Technical Assistance programs fund consultation and/or education to assist those providing services and supports to individuals, clients and/or family members of clients who are working in and/or receiving services from the Public Mental Health System. These programs are distinct from the Prevention and Early Intervention Statewide Project known as Training, Technical Assistance and Capacity Building (TTACB).

Mental Health Services Act, § 3200.276

See also Training, Technical Assistance and Capacity Building (TTACB)Workforce Education and Training (WET)

Training, Technical Assistance and Capacity Building (TTACB)

Refers to programs under the rubric of the Training, Technical Assistance and Capacity Building (TTACB) Project, one of five statewide Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) projects authorized in 2007. In July 2008, the MHSOAC approved statewide funding of $6 million per year for four years for the TTACB Project. Counties could request access to these funds through their 3 Year Plans and Annual Updates. The primary goal of the TTACB Project was to improve the capacity of local partners outside the mental health system (i.e., education, primary health care, law enforcement, older adult services) as well as County staff and partners who work on the development, implementation and evaluation of prevention and early intervention work plans and programs that will be funded through the PEI component of the County’s Plan. Background on the TTACB Project can be found in Department of Mental Health (DMH) Information Notice 08-37, December 12, 2008.

Transition Age Youth (TAY)

Per Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) Regulation Transition Aged Youth (TAY) are defined in the MHSOAC Transparency Suite as any person between the ages of 16 and 25.

Mental Health Services Act, § 3560.010(5)(A)

See also AdultChild

Trauma

Trauma identifies clients that have experienced traumatic events including experiences such as having witnessed violence, having been a victim of crime or violence, having lived through a natural disaster, having been a combatant or civilian in a war zone, having witnessed or having been a victim of a severe accident, or having been a victim of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse.

S-26.0

Triage

Triage services allow crisis service personnel to reach out to people during crisis before their situations become more desperate, linking them to appropriate services. The Mental Health Wellness Act of 2013, SB 82, provides competitive grants to Counties to hire triage personnel statewide. Those mental health workers provide crisis support services at shelters, jails, hospitals and clinics, including mobile crisis support teams. The availability of crisis intervention services can divert people from incarceration and reduce the use of hospital emergency rooms and psychiatric beds.

Mental Health Services Act, § 5848.5(b)

W


Warm line

This is a contact number to assist individuals in immediate need of services to connect with County services. A Warm Line is a phone number that aims to be a highly accessible, low-threshold mental health resource that people can use to seek support before they’ve reached the crisis point, in the hope that support now will prevent crisis later.

WET Regional Partnerships

This is a program category under Other MHSA in the MHSOAC Program Search Tool. A WET Regional Partnership is a group of County approved individuals and/or organizations within geographic proximity that acts as an employment and education resource for the Public Mental Health System. The group may include educational and employment service entities, individuals and/or entities within the Public Mental Health System, and individuals and/or entities that have an interest in the Public Mental Health System, such as County staff, mental health service providers, clients, and clients’ family members. WET Regional Partnerships are funded by County Workforce Education and Training (WET) funds, but expenditures are reported separately in County Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs).

Mental Health Services Act, § 3200.255

See also Annual Revenue and Expenditure Reports (RERs)

Workforce Education and Training (WET)

This is a component of the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA). Workforce Education and Training (WET) means the component of the 3 Year Plan that includes education and training programs and activities for prospective and current Public Mental Health System employees, contractors and volunteers. Counties are required to fund at least one WET program each year and may transfer a portion of Community Services and Supports (CSS) funds to the WET component to finance these programs. County CSS funds transferred to WET are available to be spent over ten years rather than the normal three years (five years for counties with populations under 200,000).

Mental Health Services Act, § 3200.320

See also Financial IncentiveMH Career PathwaysResidency and InternshipTraining and Technical AssistanceWorkforce Staffing

Workforce Staffing

Workforce Staffing is a program category within the Workforce Education and Training (WET) component of the 3 Year Plans and Annual Updates. Workforce Staffing funds staff needed to plan, administer, coordinate and/or evaluate WET programs and activities.

Mental Health Services Act, § 3200.325

See also Workforce Education and Training (WET)