SAMHSA FY2018 Budget Request and Funding History: A Fact Sheet

Summary

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is the lead federal agency for increasing access to behavioral health services. SAMHSA supports community-based mental health and substance abuse treatment and prevention services through formula grants to the states and U.S. territories and through competitive grant programs to states, territories, tribal organizations, local communities, and private entities. SAMHSA also engages in a range of other activities, such as technical assistance, data collection, and workforce development.

SAMHSA and most of its programs and activities are authorized under Public Health Service Act (PHSA) Title V, which organizes SAMHSA in four centers: the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), and the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality (CBHSQ). Each of CSAT, CSAP, and CMHS has general statutory authority, called Programs of Regional and National Significance (PRNS), under which it administers numerous grants and other programs. PHSA Title V also authorizes a number of specific grant programs, referred to as categorical grants.

SAMHSA’s two largest grant programs are separately authorized under PHSA Title XIX, Part B. The Community Mental Health Services block grant falls within CMHS. The full amount of the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment block grant falls within CSAT, although no less than 20% of each state’s block grant must be used for prevention.

SAMHSA’s budget is organized in four categories, three of which correspond to CSAT, CSAP, and CMHS. The fourth category, “health surveillance and program support,” does not correspond directly to CBHSQ; it supports data collection, analytic support, public awareness campaigns, behavioral health workforce initiatives, and the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (among other programs and activities).

In the 114th Congress, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Reform Act of 2016 (Division B of P.L. 114-255) made numerous changes to SAMHSA’s statutory authorities—reauthorizing, modifying, or codifying existing programs and activities; authorizing new programs and activities; and repealing authorities for programs and activities that had not been funded. Also in the 114th Congress, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 (CARA, P.L. 114-198) included authorizations of appropriations for SAMHSA-administered grant programs, and Section 1003 of the 21st Century Cures Act (Division A of P.L. 114-255) authorized appropriations for grants to support state responses to opioid abuse.