Local Mental and Behavioral Health Authorities

Community mental health services are provided through local mental health authorities (LMHA) and local behavioral health authorities (LBHA). An LMHA or LBHA provides services to a specific geographic area of the state, called a local service area.

The Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) requires each authority to plan, develop policy, coordinate, and allocate resources for mental health services in the local service area. HHSC contracts with 37 LMHAs and two LBHAs to deliver community mental health services in Texas, known as performance contracts.

Training

HHSC offers free and reduced-cost training for community mental health providers through the Centralized Training Infrastructure for Evidence-Based Practices (CTI-EBP) to support LMHAs and LBHAs. CTI-EBP is designed to aid in the support of a training infrastructure for the delivery of mental health services in Texas. HHSC contracts with The University of Texas Health Science Center’s Department of Psychiatry to coordinate and implement this project.

Additional training and competency requirements can be found in Information Item A – Training and Competency (MS Word) of the performance contract.

Forms

Information on the Clinical Management for Behavioral Health Services (CMBHS) access request and user agreement form completion can be found on HHSC’s CMBHS webpage.

Guidelines and Handbooks

• Adult Needs and Strengths Assessment Manual (PDF)
• Child Needs and Strengths Assessment Manual for Texas, Age 3-5 (PDF)
• Child Needs and Strengths Assessment Manual for Texas, Age 6-17 (PDF)
• Texas Resilience and Recovery Utilization Management Guidelines and Manual

Rates

• Medicaid Billing Guidelines
• Medicaid Fee Schedule

Rules

LMHAs and LBHAs must comply with applicable mental health service rules of the Texas Administrative Code as described in the performance contract, including prevention standards, case management, rehabilitative standards and client rights.

Title 26 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 301, Subchapter G requires LMHAs and LBHAs to implement HHSC’s Texas Resilience and Recovery (TRR) Utilization Management Guidelines for the delivery of community mental health services within the TRR system.

Resources

• Charges for Community Services Brochure (PDF in English)
• Charges for Community Services Brochure (PDF in Spanish)
• Contracting with a local mental health authority or local behavioral health authority
• Local Authority Monthly Ability-to-Pay Fee Schedule (PDF in English)
• Local Authority Monthly Ability-to-Pay Fee Schedule (PDF in Spanish)
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Evidence-Based Practices Resource Center

For questions related to adult mental health services or evidence-based practices, email Adult Mental Health Services.

For questions related to children’s mental health services, email Children’s Mental Health.