FY25 Budget Testimony: Department of Health Care Finance
Children’s Law Center Policy Attorney Leah Castelaz and Path Forward Project Lead Amber Rieke testified before the DC Council Committee on Health at the DC Health Care Finance budget hearing. In her testimony, Leah asked the Committee to support sustainable funding for home visiting programs in the District, including the Nurse Family Partnership First Time Mother’s Home Visiting Program, by funding the Home Visiting Services Reimbursement Act of 2023 and providing one-time funding to ensure the program survives until Medicaid reimbursement becomes available. Amber’s testimony discussed the integration of behavioral health services into Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), which was recently halted by DHCF.
Learn about Our Behavioral Health Work
Although tens of thousands of DC children have behavioral health needs, only a fraction of them actually receive timely supports and services. At Children’s Law Center, we know that many of the children we work with – including children in the foster care system or receiving special education services – only need our help because their needs have gone unaddressed.