Arkansas Governor Calls For $117 Million Increase To Human Services Budget To Sustain Medicaid & State Hospital System

Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe has proposed increasing the Department of Human Services (DHS) budget by $117 million for state fiscal year 2013. This is an 11.5% increase over the 2012 funding of $1.01 billion. Most of the increase, $114 million, will increase funding available for DHS Medicaid grants, from nearly $692 million to nearly $806 million. The remaining $2.9 million will fund behavioral health services provided through the state psychiatric hospital, increasing behavioral health spending from nearly $76 million to more than $78 million. Funding for all other DHS divisions will remain the same as 2012. This . . .