Faq's

What is behavioral health?
Behavioral health is a term used not only in West Virginia but also in a number of other states. Generally it refers to services and programs organized to meet the needs of people having a mental illness, a chemical addiction, or a developmental disability.

Do people who receive behavioral healthcare services ever get better?
Some conditions are life-long, while others are episodic. Some of the goals when offering treatment or services are to alleviate suffering, to reduce symptoms, or to assist recipients to achieve their highest possible level of functioning and independence.

The 1999 U.S. Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health notes the following: "....Several important conclusions may be drawn from the extensive scientific literature summarized in the Report. One is that a variety of treatments of well-documented efficacy exist for the array of clearly defined mental and behavioral disorders that occur across the life span. Every person should be encouraged to seek help when questions arise about mental health, just as each person is encouraged to seek help when questions arise about health...." www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/cmh/default.htm

How many behavioral healthcare providers are there in West Virginia?
There are currently eighty-three organizations having the West Virginia behavioral healthcare provider license as issued by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources' Office of Health Facilities Licensing and Certification. In addition there are hospitals, distinct parts of hospitals, and private practitioners devoted to treatment and serving those with behavioral healthcare needs.

What is the history of the behavioral healthcare movement in West Virginia?
Construction began on the first institution in 1858 at a time when the state was still part of Virginia. It was named the Trans-Allegheny Asylum for the Insane, in the community of Weston in Lewis County. Construction was interrupted during the Great Conflict between the States at the time Virginia seceded from the Union. It was finally completed in 1880, and later came to be known as Weston (State) Hospital until its closing in 1994. There remain two public psychiatric hospitals in West Virginia having a total of 240 beds. Resulting from the CMHC (Community Mental Health Center) Act of 1963 as signed into law by President Kennedy, Appalachian Community Health Center as it is now known became the first local community-based provider organization in West Virginia, opening its doors in 1965. The members of this Association take pride, along with many of our colleagues, that West Virginia is one of the few states to have closed all of its institutions for those having developmental disabilities, while moving services to community-based settings.

What is "parity?"
Parity legislation generally seeks to require that behavioral healthcare benefits be treated equally to other medical and surgical benefits provided under health insurance and health benefits plans. A large majority of the states have now passed parity measures, some very broad in scope and coverage and others, limited to specific behavioral healthcare conditions.

What does "ICF/MR" mean?
Intermediate Care Facility for the Mentally Retarded.
These are group homes for people having mental retardation or related conditions under the broad umbrella of "developmental disabilities." The term is derived from Federal nomenclature , while the programs are designed and delivered under each State's Medicaid authority. These programs must meet stringent 'active treatment' requirements, while maintaining both Medicaid certification and state licensing standards. There are approximately sixty of these homes in West Virginia, most having eight or fewer beds.

What is the Waiver Program?
A number of States have several Waiver Programs under Medicaid. West Virginia has two, the Aged and Disabled, and the Home and Community Based. With behavioral health, references to the Waiver are generally concerning the Home and Community Based Waiver. It allows individuals who have been certified as "in need of an ICF/MR level of care" to receive their care and services in an ICF/MR group home, or to choose to receive services in their own homes and in community settings once qualified for the Waiver program. West Virginia, however, must receive Federal permission each time it wishes to expand the program so there are limits on the number of openings in the program at any given time. http://www.hcfa.gov/medicaid/hpg4.htm

What is the "Olmstead Plan?"
The Supreme Court in 1999 issued a decision (Olmstead v. L.C.) that States may be violating Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 if they provide care to people with disabilities in institutional settings when they could be appropriately served in a home or community-based setting. Since this ruling States have been encouraged to draft individual Olmstead plans describing, within broad Federal guidelines, to whom and which long-term care services to cover, and in what settings. In West Virginia, by Executive Order of the Governor, a thirty-eight member task force was formed to make recommendations regarding the West Virginia Olmstead Plan. The recommendations were delivered to the Governor in December, 2001. http://www.wvdhhr.org/olmstead/

How do I find out about getting services in my local community?
Click here for a list of services listed by county.