CONTACT
Julie Naughton, Office of Communications, (402) 471-1695 (office); (402) 405-7202 (cell);
julie.naughton@nebraska.gov;
Lincoln – The Division of Behavioral Health (DBH) at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services is seeking recommendations for updates to its behavioral health service definitions. These are the standards of care that specify requirements for service delivery funded by the Division.
The service definitions will be divided into categories, and public comment periods will be six weeks in duration for each category. The categories are crisis services; hospital and outpatient services; rehabilitation services, and substance use disorder services.
The first round, substance use disorder services, will be posted July 1 on the DHHS website, www.dhhs.ne.gov, along with instructions on how to submit feedback and further details on the schedule. Information will also be distributed through the DBH listserv. Questions and/or feedback? Please send to DHHS.BehavioralHealthDivision@nebraska.gov.
“The DBH is committed to transparent review based on stakeholder feedback," said Sheri Dawson, director of the Division of Behavioral Health at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. “Feedback on the behavioral service definitions is important, and we invite the public to participate in this review process."
Nebraska Administrative Code 206, which governs the administration of Nebraska Public Behavioral Health System, contains the current service definitions and is in the promulgation process. Recommended changes would remove the current service definitions from the regulations and allow for revision. While the date for promulgation of the regulations has not yet been established, it is the intent of DBH to begin to review all existing service definitions through internal and external stakeholders so that recommendations can be considered and service definition edits be drafted.
Service definitions will not change prior to proposed NAC 206 revisions being adopted.