On July 28th, several of MaMHCA's staff and board members testified around bills H.2218 and S.1380

"Thank you, Chairpersons Domb, and Velis, Vice Chairs and honorable members of the Joint committee for holding this very important hearing to improve the behavioral health and wellbeing of those consuming mental health and substance use services in the Commonwealth. I’d additionally like to thank Senator Brady and Representative LaNatra for being the primary sponsor for this important bill and to all those who signed up to cosponsor.

We’re asking that you support H2218 and S1380 and report these bills out favorably.
First and foremost, this legislation directly addresses the critical workforce shortage in our behavioral health system. By updating job classifications to explicitly include Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHCs) and Licensed Supervised Mental Health Counselors (LSMHCs), we’re unlocking a highly trained and underutilized segment of the mental health workforce.These professionals are already qualified under state licensure to provide care—but outdated job specs prevent many from serving in key roles. This simple change modernizes our hiring pipeline and fills critical vacancies faster.

When we integrate LMHCs and LSMHCs into roles overseen by EOHHS such as DMH, DYS, DCF, and DPH, we’re not just improving hiring, we’re expanding access to care in the places that need it most. Children in foster care, youth in the justice system, families in crisis, these are populations who often wait too long for services. This language ensures our systems can recruit professionals who are already licensed to provide therapy, crisis intervention, and care coordination. That means earlier interventions, fewer escalations, and healthier outcomes across
the board.

Another key benefit: LMHCs and LSMHCs represent a diverse and growing part of the behavioral health workforce. They are more likely to be bilingual, work in underserved areas, and reflect the cultural backgrounds of the communities they serve. This change not only makes hiring more inclusive, it builds a more equitable and sustainable system over time. And by ensuring that job classifications reflect current scopes of practice, we send a strong signal that we value all licensed professionals equally in our behavioral health response.
Additionally, this is a fiscally responsible move. We already license these professionals, they’re ready and willing to work. There's no additional training cost, no need for new positions, just a correction to outdated administrative language. And given the deadline of September 1st, it ensures timely implementation without delaying services.

Lastly, EOHHS has recently accomplished this by a regulation change this past December in relation to MassHealth and their job and payment schedules.

I urge you to support this language because it’s efficient, equitable, and essential to fixing workforce gaps that directly impact the mental health of our most vulnerable residents. Thank you for your time and commitment to strengthening our behavioral health system."