Virginia Legislative Audit Recommends More Time To Effectively Deploy STEP-VA Mental Health Initiative

The Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) recommends that the state allow more time to effectively deploy its System Transformation Excellence and Performance -Virginia (STEP-VA) mental health initiative, which would push back full implementation from July 2021 to July 2022. The nine-step initiative, which began in 2017, requires Virginia's 40 local community services boards (CSBs) to implement the following: same day assessments, primary care screening, behavioral health crisis services, outpatient behavioral health, psychiatric rehabilitation, peer/family support services, veteran's behavioral health, care coordination, and targeted case management. Between 2017 and 2019, all CSBs implemented . . .