Memorandum
Date: June 23, 2026
To: The Honorable Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Elise Jones, Behavioral Health Services Director
Subject: Presentation of Lake County Behavioral Health Services Behavioral Health Services Act Integrated Plan for Fiscal Years 2026-2027, 2027-2028, and 2028-2029.
Executive Summary:
Lake County Behavioral Health Services requests that the Board of Supervisors receive a presentation regarding the Department’s Behavioral Health Services Act Integrated Plan for Fiscal Years 2026-2027, 2027-2028, and 2028-2029; review the draft Integrated Plan; and adopt a Resolution approving the Integrated Plan, authorizing submission to the State of California, and authorizing the Chair of the Board to execute the required Board of Supervisors Certification Form.
In March 2024, California voters approved Proposition 1, which amended and renamed the Mental Health Services Act as the Behavioral Health Services Act. The Behavioral Health Services Act significantly restructures county behavioral health planning, funding, reporting, oversight, and accountability requirements. Beginning with the FY 2026-2029 planning cycle, counties are required to submit a three-year Integrated Plan that incorporates BHSA-funded programs, Medi-Cal behavioral health services, realignment-funded services, local planning priorities, and required fiscal and programmatic information into a single planning framework.
Lake County Behavioral Health Services has prepared the FY 2026-2029 Behavioral Health Services Act Integrated Plan in accordance with applicable state requirements and guidance. The plan reflects the County’s transition from the prior Mental Health Services Act structure into the new Behavioral Health Services Act framework, including updated funding categories, expanded accountability expectations, housing-related requirements, service delivery priorities, and continued alignment with broader behavioral health transformation efforts at the state level.
The Integrated Plan is intended to describe Lake County’s behavioral health system priorities, planned programs and services, funding allocations, community planning process, stakeholder feedback, and implementation approach for the upcoming three-year period. The plan also reflects the realities of operating a small rural behavioral health system during a period of significant state-level reform, including ongoing workforce, access, infrastructure, fiscal, and service capacity challenges.
As part of the required submission process, the Board of Supervisors must certify that it has reviewed and approved the Integrated Plan. The required certification form also includes a certification that the County will meet its realignment obligations pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code section 14197, including applicable time or distance standards and appointment time standards, without utilizing waitlists. The Resolution authorizes the Chair of the Board to execute this required certification form and authorizes Lake County Behavioral Health Services to submit the Integrated Plan and all required supporting documents to the appropriate state oversight entities.
Approval of this item does not create a new County General Fund obligation. Rather, it authorizes the Department to move forward with the state-required BHSA Integrated Plan submission process and continue administering behavioral health programs and services in alignment with applicable state law, regulations, and guidance.
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Recommended Action: Adopt Resolution approving the Lake County Behavioral Health Services Behavioral Health Services Act Integrated Plan for Fiscal Years 2026-2027, 2027-2028, and 2028-2029; authorize submission of the Integrated Plan and required supporting documents to the State of California; and authorize the Chair of the Board of Supervisors to execute the required Board of Supervisors Certification Form and any related non-substantive submission documents.