2014 Sees Federal Budget Approved, And Uptick In Funding For Behavioral Health

Last year there was no federal budget enacted and gridlock was the order of the day. But fiscal year 2014 is different: negotiations over the holidays resulted in a $1.1 trillion spending bill, signed by President Obama on January 17 that funds the federal government through September. The new federal budget brings good news for mental health and substance use disorder treatment. When sequestration – the automatic spending cuts imposed last year – is taken into account, overall MH/SUD funding has increased. For example, the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) block grant, which pays for the lion's share . . .