The Department of State Health Services established the Joint Committee on Access and Forensic Services in accordance with S.B. 1507, 84th Legislature, Regular Session, 2015.
The purpose of the committee is to provide customer/consumer and stakeholder input to the Health and Human Services system in the form of recommendations regarding access to forensic services within the state of Texas. The JCAFS considers and makes recommendations to the Legislature consistent with the committee’s purpose.
Recommendations to the Legislature regarding access to forensic services include:
- Monitoring the implementation of updates to the bed day allocation methodology for allocating to each designated region a certain number of state-funded beds in state hospitals and other inpatient mental health facilities for voluntary, civil and forensic patients.
- Implementing a bed day utilization review protocol, including a peer review process.
- Planning for the coordination of forensic services.
Members
Jim Allison
General Counsel for the County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas
Austin
Bill Alsup
Texas Municipal League
Richardson
Shannon Carr
Austin Area Mental Health Consumers, Inc
Austin
Jonathan Caspell
Texas Municipal League
Lubbock
Sherri Cogbill
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Austin
David Evans
Texas Council of Community Centers
Austin
Stephen Glazier
Texas Hospital Association
Houston
Anna Gray
Behavioral Health Advisory Committee
San Antonio
Windy Johnson
Texas Conference of Urban Counties
Austin
Judge Robert Johnston
County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas
Palestine
Shelley Smith
Texas Council of Community Centers
Big Spring
Sally Taylor
Texas Hospital Association
San Antonio
Judge JD “Butch” Wagner
Texas Association of Counties
Brownfield
Dennis Wilson
Sheriff’s Association of Texas
Groesbeck
Meeting Dates
Meetings will be held at the HHS campus. Information to access the meeting can be found on the agenda posted on the HHS Events webpage.
- October 19, 2022
- January 18, 2023
- April 19, 2023
- July 19, 2023
- October 18, 2023
For More Information
Email JCAFS@hhs.texas.gov.
Reports & Presentations
Note: These files are in PDF format unless otherwise noted.
Joint Committee on Access and Forensic Services 2021 Annual Report
State Hospital Bed-Day Allocation Methodology and Utilization Review Protocol for Fiscal Year 2020
Joint Committee on Access and Forensic Services 2019 Annual Report
Joint Committee on Access and Forensic Services: 2018 Annual Report
State Hospital Bed Day Allocation Methodology and Utilization Review Protocol for Fiscal Year 2018