HR1735-119

What This Bill Does

The EARLY Minds Act adds prevention and early intervention to state mental-health block grant planning. States must describe evidence-based strategies and programs to prevent, delay, or reduce the severity and onset of mental illness and behavioral problems, including for children and adolescents, even if the person does not yet have a serious mental illness or serious emotional disturbance. States with such plans may spend up to 5 percent of their annual Community Mental Health Services Block Grant allotment on those strategies. The Secretary must report to Congress within one year and every two years after that, listing participating states, describing state activities, identifying populations served and demographics, and reporting outcomes such as reduced delays in access to care and reduced severity of serious mental illness or serious emotional disturbance onset.

Who Benefits and How

Children and adolescents benefit because states can fund early mental-health prevention before conditions become severe. State mental health agencies benefit from authority to reserve up to 5 percent of block grant funds for prevention and early intervention. Families seeking behavioral health care benefit if state programs reduce delays in access to services. Community mental health providers benefit from funding opportunities for evidence-based prevention programs.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration staff must review state plans and prepare biennial reports. State mental health agencies must document prevention strategies, populations served, demographics, and outcomes. Programs focused only on existing serious mental illness may compete with prevention uses for up to 5 percent of allotments. Federal taxpayers bear the cost of reporting and grant oversight under the expanded block grant option.

Key Provisions

• Requires state plans to describe evidence-based prevention and early intervention strategies.
• Authorizes states to spend up to 5 percent of mental-health block grant allotments on those strategies.
• Provides coverage for children and adolescents regardless of serious mental illness or serious emotional disturbance status.
• Requires HHS reports to Congress within one year and biennially afterward.
• Requires outcome reporting on access delays and severity of onset.