YES Project Terms to Know

An abbreviation is a shortened form of a work or phrase that is used to represent the whole. Acronyms are formed from the initial letters or groups of letters of words in a set phrase or series of words that are pronounced like a word. The abbreviations and acronyms used in the YES system of care are listed below.

The Access Model, as detailed in Appendix A of the Settlement Agreement, and discussed in Objective 3 in the Idaho Implementation Plan, describes the process for children and youth to access the YES System of Care.

See Due Process below.

Algorithms are problem-solving rules used to arrive at a solution. Algorithms provide a consistent way to help make clinical decisions.

The assessment process, as referenced in Appendices A, B,  and C of the Settlement Agreement, is a series of steps taken to gather information for a mental health diagnosis. In the assessment process defined by the Settlement Agreement, a mental health assessment is administered in conjunction with the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS).

The Behavioral Health Authority Standards of Care, as used in the Idaho Implementation Plan, are the best-practice standards published by the Division of Behavioral Health and used to guide the delivery of behavioral health services. The standards serve as a consistent base for the provision of high-quality behavioral healthcare in Idaho, by providing increased awareness, understanding and utilization of best-practice service and treatment modalities. Careful consideration has been paid to:

1. Evidence-based behavioral health practices.
2. Widely accepted standards of behavioral healthcare.
3. Idaho Administrative Rule (program-specific).
4. State contractual requirements.
5. Current practice.
6. Need throughout the state.
7. Input from community providers, consumers, and stakeholders.

More information about the Behavioral Health Authority Standards of Care is available in the Division of Behavioral Health Assessment Standard. 

Blended funding, as referenced in the Idaho Implementation Plan, is a method for using multiple funding streams to support a common group of activities on behalf of a defined population in need. Blended funding involves commingling the funds into a single “pot,” out of which program needs can be met. Because funds are co-mingled, there is no means by which the fiscal manager can report which funding stream paid for exactly which expense.

Braided funding, as used in the Idaho Implementation Plan, is a method for using multiple funding streams to support a common group of activities on behalf of a defined population. The term “braided” is used because multiple funding streams are initially separate, are brought together to pay for more than any one stream can reimburse, and then are carefully pulled back apart to report back to fund sources on how the money was spent.

A Class Member, as defined in Appendix A of the Settlement Agreement, is any Idaho resident with serious emotional disturbance who:

1. Is under the age of 18.
2. Has a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM) diagnosable mental health condition, or would have a diagnosable mental health condition if evaluated by a practitioner of the healing arts operating within the scope of his/her practice as identified by Idaho State Law.
3. Has a substantial functional impairment that is measured by and documented through the use of a standardized instrument conducted or supervised by a qualified clinician, or would have been measured and documented had an assessment been conducted.

Due Process is the procedure an agency must take to ensure that a person is not treated in an unfair, unsupported, or unreasonable way. Due Process may include:

• A formal letter with specific information about a decision made by the agency regarding services that have been requested to the participant (also known as a “notice”) and instructions on how to request an appeal.
• An informal resolution.
• A referral to a fair hearing to review decisions the agency made that the participant disagrees with.

Children and youth with SED may appeal decisions when an agency:

• Determines that a child or youth is not a YES participant following an assessment.
• Denies or limits a requested service.
• Reduces, suspends, or terminates a currently authorized service.
• Denies, in whole or in part, payment for a service.

In fair hearings, a person has the ability to:

• Present evidence and witnesses, request and receive evidence, and cross examine witnesses.
• Be represented by another person or an attorney.
• Have an impartial hearing officer and receive findings of facts and the legal basis for the decision such as a regulation or statute, on upon which the fair hearing decision is based.

More information about how the YES project is implementing Due Process can be found in the Idaho Implementation Plan, Objective 5.

See Due Process above.

The Idaho Behavioral Health Cooperative, as defined in Section 39-3124, Idaho Code, advises the Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) on issues related to the coordinated delivery of community-based behavioral health services.

The IBHC includes representatives from:

• The Idaho State Judiciary
• The Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC)
• The Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections (IDJC)
• The Office of Drug Policy (ODP)
• The Idaho Association of Counties
• The State Behavioral Health Planning Council (BHPC)
• An adult consumer of services
• A family member of a youth consumer of services
• Idaho Department of Education (IDE)
• Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (DHW)
• Other members as deemed necessary by DHW.

The IBHP is the framework for how behavioral health services for conditions such as mental health and substance use disorders are administered in Idaho as discussed in the Idaho Implementation Plan. The new IBHP contract is structured differently than the previous one because a managed care organization, Magellan Healthcare, will manage behavioral health services for the Divisions of Behavioral Health and Medicaid. Magellan will also manage the provider network for the Department of Juvenile Corrections. Magellan will oversee behavioral health services for Idahoans who have Medicaid, other types of insurance, and who don’t have insurance. Because outpatient behavioral health services will be included in the plan, the Division of Behavioral Health (DBH) will no longer offer outpatient behavioral health services.

The Idaho Implementation Plan was developed as part of the Jeff D. Settlement Agreement as the first step toward developing and implementing sustainable, accessible, comprehensive, and coordinated service delivery of publicly funded, community-based mental health services to children and youth with serious emotional disturbance in Idaho.

The Interagency Governance Team, as detailed in Appendix D of the Settlement Agreement, and discussed in Objective 6 in the Idaho Implementation Plan, collaboratively coordinates the implementation of the Jeff D. Settlement Agreement.

The Jeff D. et al. v. C.L. “Butch” Otter et al. class action lawsuit was filed in 1980 and sought to address two primary issues:

• Mixing adults and juveniles at State Hospital South.
• The provision of community-based mental health and education services to children with serious emotional disturbance.

In an attempt to resolve the suit the State focused on the provision of community-based mental health services. In 2007, the federal district court dismissed the case. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the decision in 2011, reinstating the case. The federal district court advised the parties to engage in a mediation process to arrive at a solution to the suit.

The parties, including parent, provider and advocacy representatives, collaborated from October 2013 to December 2014 to create a Settlement Agreement leading to an improved children’s mental health System of Care (SoC). This new system will be community-based, easily accessed, family-driven, and follow the System of Care, Practice Model, and Principles of Care outlined in the agreement. 

The Settlement Agreement is a contractual agreement between the parties to the Jeff D. class action lawsuit to resolve the underlying dispute. It is a high-level description of what the State has agreed to do in order to have the lawsuit dismissed.

A potential Class Member, as used in the Idaho Implementation Plan and Appendix A of the Settlement Agreement, is any Idaho resident with unmet mental health needs who has not yet reached their 18th birthday and who has not yet been determined to be a Class Member.

The Practice Model, as detailed in Appendix B of the Settlement Agreement, and discussed in Objective 2 in the Idaho Implementation Plan, describes the six key practice components required by the Youth Empowerment Services (YES) System of Care.

The Principles of Care, as detailed in Appendix B of the Settlement Agreement, and discussed in Objective 2 in the Idaho Implementation Plan, are 11 values intended to guide child-serving agencies in delivering services in the YES System of Care.

The Quality Management Improvement and Accountability (QMIA) Council is the entity responsible for quality management, improvement and accountability within the Jeff D. governance structure and is a cross-agency collaborative made up of executive level staff and children’s mental health stakeholders with responsibilities specific to meeting the terms of the Settlement Agreement.

Services and supports, as detailed in Appendix C, and discussed in Objective 1 of the Idaho Implementation Plan, are available to YES participants based on their individual strengths and needs as clinically appropriate.

The Workforce Development Plan, as discussed in Objective 4 in the Idaho Implementation Plan, addresses the current and future demands for increasing the numbers of appropriately trained and certified mental health providers and the infrastructure needed to operate the System of Care.

The YES Communication Plan describes the types of outreach, materials, mediums and methods that the Youth Empowerment Services (YES) Project will use to inform participants, their families and associated stakeholders on all aspects of the new System of Care.

The YES Project Plan drives the execution of the work described in the Idaho Implementation Plan; it clarifies the scope of the project, defines tasks, specifies timelines, identifies dependencies, and contains all planning documents for the purposes of tracking and documenting progress on implementation.

The YES Quality Management, Improvement and Accountability Plan, as discussed in Objective 7 in the Idaho Implementation Plan, describes the plan for reporting outcomes, system performance, and progress on the Youth Empowerment Services (YES) Project, as well as quality improvement at the clinical, program and system levels.