Wendi J Aultman

The meeting included a 2026 legislative update, focusing on Senate Bill 400, where the Board discussed the impact of amending the required review period for qualifying medical conditions from annually to biennially, noting that such reviews are already conducted more frequently than statutorily mandated. Discussion also covered Senate Bill 462 and House Bill 1446 concerning therapeutic cannabis patients and firearm rights, noting the federal nature of existing prohibitions. Key actions included the approval to hold public hearings regarding the potential removal of Hepatitis C and Glaucoma (including elevated intraocular pressure) as qualifying medical conditions due to advancements in treatment availability. Furthermore, the Board reviewed subcommittee work products for the Statement of Understanding and Cannabis-Drug Interactions information resource, deciding to allow members an additional comment period for both documents. Finally, the Board discussed ongoing efforts to address membership vacancies.

The meeting included the introduction of new Commission members, Mary Behnke and advisor Paul Dean, who shared his extensive background in law enforcement, underage drinking prevention, and mental health initiatives. Public comment featured reports on the New Hampshire Behavioral Health Summit, concerns regarding treatment outcome data, and advocacy for restoring the Alcohol Fund's original revenue structure. A Commissioner update detailed significant budget reductions being managed, progress on a federal Rural Health Transformation initiative application, and plans for the new Manchester Developmental Center site. Discussions also covered the timeline for the Youth Development Center property sale process. The Executive Directors Report provided a financial update via the Governor's Commission Dashboard for SFY 2026 and SFY 2027, emphasizing the priority of maintaining existing services despite budget constraints. The State Opioid Response (SOR) update outlined SOR funding, key programs like the Doorway Program, and ongoing partnerships, particularly with the Department of Corrections regarding Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) in correctional facilities. The Budget Task Force presented five key recommendations for FY 2027, focusing on funding endorsement, planning clarity, monitoring revenue shifts, infrastructure stabilization, and supporting the Department's strategic roadmap. A vote was taken to reserve $500,000 for the Commission's budget and to endorse the conceptual budget plan. Finally, a proposal was made to create a Problem Gambling Task Force, pending finalization of the funding mechanism from lottery revenue.

Key discussions included the postponement of the New Hampshire Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselors Association (NHADACA) funding request until the upcoming Request for Proposal (RFP) process; this request sought $450,000 annually for SFY 2027 and SFY 2028 for credentialing support. Updates were provided on the Opioid Abatement Community Grants Program (OACGP), detailing application windows for Short-Term Responsive Grants Cycle 2 and Multiyear Project Grants Cycle 1, with discussion about potentially allowing staffing expense funding. The Commission recommended allocating $6.5 million over two years through a separate RFP process with DHHS, emphasizing the inclusion of prevention strategies. Financial review included an update on the Opioid Abatement Trust Fund position. The Commission also addressed annual subdivision reports, noted that some reports required revision, and discussed outreach to encourage funding utilization. In public comment, the City of Portsmouth's previously tabled funding request was reconsidered, ultimately approved as a revised 2-year request of $776,653 for social workers and infrastructure support. Finally, Commissioner James Boffetti was unanimously re-elected to serve as Chair for an additional year in 2026, with priorities set for the next meeting regarding the DHHS RFP framework and guiding strategies documents.

The meeting commenced with introductions and confirmations of quorum. A significant portion of the session involved addressing the consent agenda regarding numerous rules (e.g., HW5304 co-payments, HW57013 prescription co-payments, HW572 ambulance services, HW568 therapy services, and various HW803/806/854 rules concerning responsibilities and disregards), which were approved as presented without further discussion. The minutes for the July and August meetings were reviewed and approved after a non-substantive edit to the July minutes correcting the definition of the ABD waiver. Discussions also covered mechanisms for tracking follow-up items from previous meetings, potential future agenda topics such as workforce issues for direct support workers, and the impact of impending Medicaid premium and co-payment changes. A presentation, moved up in the schedule, detailed the Medical Eligibility Assessment (MEA) process for the Choices for Independence (CFI) waiver, explaining the dual financial and medical track determination required for program eligibility, and the standard for nursing facility level of care.

The meeting addressed corrections and amendments to the previous June and July meeting minutes, including ensuring a member was marked as excused and correcting temporal references. A significant portion of the meeting focused on the new federal requirement under the Consolidated Appropriations Act concerning Justice Involved Youth. This mandates providing targeted case management screening and diagnostic services to eligible juveniles within 30 days pre-release and post-release from public institutions. Discussions detailed eligibility criteria, options for suspending Medicaid eligibility versus benefits during incarceration, the role of various providers, and the need for robust pre-release outreach and application processes to ensure service continuity upon release. Separately, there was follow-up regarding an article concerning alleged overcharging of participants, where the department provided details on audits, refunds issued (478 members), and the historical context of premium charges for the ME program.