2023 Montana Code Annotated › Title 53. Social Services and Institutions › Chapter 21. Mentally Ill › Part 12. Jail Diversion and Crisis Intervention › 53-21-1203. State matching fund grants for county and tribal government crisis intervention, jail diversion, precommitment, and short-term inpatient treatment costs

53-21-1203. State matching fund grants for county and tribal government crisis intervention, jail diversion, precommitment, and short-term inpatient treatment costs.
(1) As soon as possible after July 1 of each new biennium, from funds appropriated by the legislature for the purposes of this section, the department shall grant to each eligible county or federally recognized tribal government state matching funds for:
(a) jail diversion and crisis intervention services to implement 53-21-1201 and 53-21-1202;
(b) insurance coverage against catastrophic precommitment costs if a county insurance pool is established pursuant to 2-9-211; and
(c) short-term inpatient treatment.
(2) Grant amounts must be based on available funding and the prospects that a plan submitted pursuant to subsection (3) will, if implemented, reduce admissions to the state hospital for emergency and court-ordered detention and evaluation and ultimately result in cost savings to the state. The department shall develop a sliding scale for state grants based upon the historical use of the state hospital with a high-use applicant receiving a lower percentage of matching funds. The sliding scale must be based upon the number of admissions by applicant region compared to total admissions and upon the population of the applicant region compared to the state population.
(3) In order to be eligible for the state matching funds, a county or federally recognized tribal government shall, in the time and manner prescribed by the department:
(a) apply for the funds and include in the grant application a detailed plan for how the applicant and other local entities will collaborate and commit local funds for the mental health services listed in subsection (1);
(b) develop and submit to the department a county, tribal, or regional jail diversion and crisis intervention services strategic plan pursuant to 53-21-1201 and 53-21-1202, including a plan for community-based or regional emergency and court-ordered detention and examination services and short-term inpatient treatment;
(c) participate in a statewide or regional county insurance plan for precommitment costs under 53-21-132 if a statewide or regional insurance plan has been established as authorized under 2-9-211;
(d) participate in a statewide or regional jail suicide prevention program if one has been established by the department for the state or for the region in which the applicant is situated; and
(e) collect and report data and information on jail diversion, crisis intervention, and short-term inpatient treatment services in the form and manner prescribed by the department to support program evaluation and measure progress on performance goals.
(4) (a) Money appropriated for the purposes of this section must be used in the following order to:
(i) create crisis intervention or jail diversion services in areas of the state that currently lack services;
(ii) provide new crisis intervention or jail diversion services in areas of the state that have received state matching funds pursuant to this section for other purposes; or
(iii) recognize an increase in the demand for or use of services that have received funding in previous years.
(b) If money from the appropriation remains after grants have been allocated as provided in subsection (4)(a), the department shall provide continued support of projects funded in the previous biennium with state matching fund grants if a county or tribal government requests continued funding of the services created or provided through use of the matching funds. The department shall allocate funds provided pursuant to this subsection (4)(b) according to a formula adopted by the department by rule.
History: En. Sec. 1, Ch. 479, L. 2009; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 232, L. 2011; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 207, L. 2015; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 403, L. 2015; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 219, L. 2017.