APA Statement on House Passage of FY22 Appropriations Bill Providing Needed Increases for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Programs

Jul 29, 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 29, 2021 – The American Psychiatric Association applauds today’s House passage of significant funding increases for key mental health and substance use disorder programs included in the FY 2022 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies and the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations bills.

Importantly, the legislation recognizes the severity of the mental health and substance use challenges our nation is facing and invests significant new resources to meet them. The bill boosts funding for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) by nearly 50% and increases funding for important research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including research on health care disparities and addiction. It also invests in enhancing the mental health and substance use treatment workforce and prioritizes enforcement of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act by the U.S. Department of Labor.

APA welcomes all the important investments made in this bill, including:

• $9.16 billion for SAMHSA, an increase of $3.16 billion including:
  • An $825 million increase to the Mental Health Services Block Grant, including a 10% set-aside for crisis services funding and an additional $100 million devoted for mobile crisis response and an $89.6 million increase for the Suicide Lifeline and 988 implementation.
  • Additional substance use treatment resources of $1.6 billion, including a 33% increase in State Opioid Response Grants.
  • $20.3 million for the Minority Fellowship Program, a 20% increase.

• An increase of $341 million for the Health Resources Services Administration to support health workforce development, including $28 million for HRSA’s Loan Repayment Program for Substance Use Disorder Treatment Workforce.
• $37.5 million for the Employee Benefits Security Administration, including a specific focus on improving compliance with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act.
• $330 million for the National Institutes of Health research on health disparities, including $250,000 through the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, as well as a 25% overall increase for the National Institute on Drug Abuse and a roughly 5% increase for the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
• $2.9 billion in additional funding for Veterans mental healthcare, including a $286 million boost for suicide prevention outreach.

We thank Chair Rosa DeLauro and the Appropriations Committee for leading the effort to provide these important increases to support mental health, substance use disorder, and other critical programs. We look forward to working with the House and Senate to ensure the highest possible funding levels for NIH, SAMHSA, HRSA and other important agencies supporting mental health services as Congress continues its work on the FY 2022 appropriations process.

American Psychiatric Association

The American Psychiatric Association, founded in 1844, is the oldest medical association in the country. The APA is also the largest psychiatric association in the world with more than 37,400 physician members specializing in the diagnosis, treatment, prevention and research of mental illnesses. APA’s vision is to ensure access to quality psychiatric diagnosis and treatment. For more information please visit www.psychiatry.org.