Report 2012-122 Recommendations

To ensure that it monitors counties to the fullest extent as the MHSA specifies and that it implements best practices, Health Care Services should draft and enter into a performance contract with each county that contains assurances for effective oversight and furthers the intent of the MHSA, including demonstration that each of the county's MHSA programs are meeting the MHSA's intent.

To ensure that it monitors counties to the fullest extent as the MHSA specifies and that it implements best practices, Health Care Services should conduct comprehensive on-site reviews of county MHSA programs, including verifying county compliance with MHSA requirements.

To ensure that counties have the needed guidance to implement and evaluate their MHSA programs, Health Care Services should coordinate with the Accountability Commission and issue guidance or regulations, as appropriate, for Facilities programs and for other MHSA requirements, such as a prudent reserve.

To ensure that counties have the needed guidance to implement and evaluate their MHSA programs, Health Care Services should commence this regulatory process no later than January 2014.

To ensure that counties have the needed guidance to implement and evaluate their MHSA programs, Health Care Services should collaborate with the Accountability Commission to develop and issue guidance or regulations, as appropriate, to counties on how to effectively evaluate and report on the performance of their MHSA programs.

To ensure that Health Care Services and other state entities can evaluate MHSA programs and assist the Accountability Commission in its efforts, Health Care Services should collect complete and relevant MHSA data from the counties.

To ensure that Health Care Services and other state entities can evaluate MHSA programs and assist the Accountability Commission in its efforts, Health Care Services should resolve all known technical issues with the partnership and client services systems and provide adequate and expert resources to manage the systems going forward.

Health Care Services should, as soon as is feasible, revise or create a reasonable and justifiable allocation methodology to ensure that counties are appropriately funded based on their identified needs for mental health services. Health Care Services should ensure that it reviews the methodology regularly and updates it as necessary so that the factors and their weighting are appropriate.

To improve the quality of county processes related to measuring program performance, Health Care Services should use its performance contracts with counties to ensure that they specify MHSA program goals in their plans and annual updates and include those same goals in their contracts with program providers.

To improve the quality of county processes related to measuring program performance, Health Care Services should use its performance contracts with counties to ensure that they identify meaningful data to measure the achievement of all their goals, set specific objectives, and require their program providers to capture those data so they can use the data to verify and report the effectiveness of their MHSA programs.

Health Care Services should develop standardized data collection guidelines or regulations, as appropriate, that will address inconsistencies in the data that counties report to the State. In developing these guidelines or regulations, Health Care Services should consult with the Accountability Commission to ensure that data collected reasonably fulfill statewide evaluation purposes.

To help ensure county compliance with stakeholder regulations, Health Care Services should provide technical assistance to counties on the MHSA local planning review process and ensure that its guidance to counties is clear and consistent with state regulations.

To ensure that Health Care Services can withhold MHSA funds from counties that fail to comply with MHSA requirements, the Legislature should enact legislation that clarifies Health Care Services' statutory authority to direct the State Controller's Office to withhold such funds from a noncompliant county.

The Planning Council should take steps to ensure that it annually reviews the overall effectiveness of MHSA programs in accordance with state law.

The Planning Council should document and make public the reviews that it performs of MHSA programs to demonstrate that it is performing all required reviews.

To ensure that counties have needed guidance to implement and evaluate MHSA programs, the Accountability Commission should issue regulations, as appropriate, for Prevention and Innovation programs.

To ensure that counties have needed guidance to implement and evaluate MHSA programs, the Accountability Commission should commence the regulatory process no later than January 2014.

To fulfill its charge to evaluate MHSA programs, the Accountability Commission should undertake the evaluations specified in its implementation plan.

To ensure that it can fulfill its evaluation responsibilities, the Accountability Commission should examine its prioritization of resources as it pertains to performing all necessary evaluations.

To report on the progress of MHSA programs and support continuous improvement, the Accountability Commission should fully use the results of its evaluations to demonstrate to taxpayers and counties the successes and challenges of these programs.

Sacramento County should review its existing MHSA contracts and by December 31, 2013, or as soon as is feasible, amend them as necessary to include plan goals.

San Bernardino County should review its existing MHSA contracts and by December 31, 2013, or as soon as is feasible, amend them as necessary to include plan goals.

Santa Clara County should review its existing MHSA contracts and by December 31, 2013, or as soon as is feasible, amend them as necessary to include plan goals.

Santa Clara County should ensure that all MHSA invoices are adequately supported with information that demonstrates that MHSA services were provided.