It’s only .0032 trillion

If you read my recent post Inside the work-a-day world of PC science but didn’t want to wade through miles of bureaucratese, you probably didn’t see that the “final respondent sample” used for the survey was about 67,800 people, and everyone who completed the survey was paid $30. You also missed lovely little tidbits like these:

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Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Performance Budget Overview

 

Mission Statement - SAMHSA’s vision as an agency of the Federal Government is “A Life in the Community for Everyone.” SAMHSA’s mission is to build resilience and facilitate recovery for people with or at risk for substance abuse and mental illness.

SAMHSA was established in 1992 and reauthorized in 2000. SAMHSA administers a combination of competitive, formula, and block grant programs and data collection activities. Programs are carried out through the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS); the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP); the Center for Substance abuse Treatment (CSAT); and the Office of Applied Studies (OAS). Reauthorization of SAMHSA programs is expected to be considered in this Congressional session.

SAMHSA provides services indirectly through grants and contracts. SAMHSA’s resources enable service capacity expansion and the implementation of evidence-based practices. The agency seeks to engage all communities in providing effective services by facilitating access to the latest information on evidence-based practices and accountability standards.

Strategic Plan - SAMHSA finalized its new strategic plan in 2006, which adds Suicide Prevention and Workforce Development to the matrix. Agency goals are Accountability, Capacity, and Effectiveness. A chart showing the vision, mission, goals and objectives may be found on the next page. The performance budget submission is aligned with the three goals.

SAMHSA’s matrix of program priorities and cross-cutting principles, which implements the strategic plan, has guided the agency’s daily operations and overall program and management decisions for the past several years. The program categories used in the performance budget submission align with the matrix. SAMHSA updated the matrix categories during 2006 to include Suicide Prevention and Workforce Development. The Disaster Readiness and Response is a cross cutting principle. The current matrix is included at the end of this section. Two-year action plans for each program priority area are displayed on the agency’s web site.

SAMHSA’s planning and budget decisions also emphasize alignment with HHS goals. All of SAMHSA’s activities directly support the Secretary’s 500-Day and 5,000-Day plans, HHS strategic objectives 1.4, 1.5, and 3.5, and all management objectives.

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Overview of Budget Request — The FY 2008 President’s Budget totals $3,167,589,000, a decrease of $158,753,000 below the FY 2007 Continuing Resolution. It includes a net decrease of $76,630,000 for mental health; a net decrease of $36,441,000 for substance abuse prevention; a net decrease of $46,859,000 for substance abuse treatment; and an increase of $1,177,000 for program management. Targeted reductions are made in areas where grant periods are ending, activities can be supported through other funding streams or efficiencies can be realized. The budget eliminates funding for 18 programs within the three Programs of Regional and National Significance. The budget includes funding increases for Drug Treatment Courts and Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment. The FY 2008 President’s Budget represents SAMHSA’s efforts to maintain the important initiatives put forth in recent years under the President’s Drug Treatment Initiative and the Federal Mental Health Action Agenda which addresses the President’s Initiative on Achieving the Promise: Transforming Mental Health Care
in America.

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Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Appropriation Language

 

For carrying out titles V and XIX of the Public Health Service Act (‘‘PHS Act’’) with respect to substance abuse and mental health services, the Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness Act, and section 301 of the PHS Act with respect to program management, [$3,046,426,000]: Provided, That notwithstanding section 520A(f)(2) of the PHS Act, no funds appropriated for carrying out section 520A are available for carrying out section 1971 of the PHS Act: Provided further, That in addition to amounts provided herein, the following amounts shall be available under section 241 of the PHS Act: (1) $[79,200,000] to carry out subpart II of part B of title XIX of the PHS Act to fund section 1935(b) technical assistance, national data, data collection and evaluation activities, and further that the total available under this Act for section 1935(b) activities shall not exceed 5 percent of the amounts appropriated for subpart II of part B of title XIX; (2) $[21,413,000]to carry out subpart I of part B of title XIX of the PHS Act to fund section 1920(b) technical assistance, national data, data collection and evaluation activities, and further that the total available under this Act for section 1920(b) activities shall not exceed 5 percent of the amounts appropriated for subpart I of part B of title XIX; (3) $[16,250,000] to carry out national surveys on drug abuse; and (4) $[4,300,000] to evaluate substance abuse treatment programs.
Pursuant to section 1942 of the PHS Act, a State that receives an allotment under section 1911 or 1921 of such Act for the current fiscal year shall submit data from the previous year on all developed National Outcome Measures. A State shall not receive more than 95 percent of the State’s allotment as determined under section 1933 for such year if that State does not report on National Outcome Measures under section 1921. Undistributed amounts under section 1921 shall be reallocated to States that report on such measures under section 1921 in accordance with section 1944 of the PHS Act.
(Department of Health and Human Services Appropriations Act, 2008.)

If you didn’t get all that, all it says is they expect to have about $3.2 billion to throw around.

Phil