FY26 Budget Testimony: Department of Behavioral Health
Children’s Law Center Behavioral Health Policy Analyst Chris Gamble testified before the Committee on Health at the FY26 budget hearing for the Department of Behavioral Health. Our testimony discusses the impact of provider payment rate freezes, the need to maintain funding for child crisis response services, opportunities to improve the School Based Behavioral Health program, and the need to maintain Healthy Futures funding. The testimony also explores creating a 988 telecommunications fee to support our crisis response system.
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.