MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel issues statement on passage of FY26 budget

LANSING, Mich. - Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Director Elizabeth Hertel issued the following statement on the passage of the balanced and bipartisan FY2026 budget.

"The fiscal year 2026 budget will allow the dedicated staff of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to continue its critical work of protecting the health, safety and prosperity of Michigan families," said Hertel. "I appreciate the work of Governor Whitmer and the Legislature to pass a balanced and bipartisan budget that helps us sustain the vital Medicaid services our friends, family and neighbors rely on every day; enables us to upgrade the security of EBT cards used by Michigan families to put food on the table and expands Family Impact Teams statewide - a program that embeds family resource specialists with child protective services to help connect families in need with benefits such as food assistance, housing and health care."

Key items included in the MDHHS budget include:

• $131.75 million for substance use disorder prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery services through the Opioid Healing and Recovery Fund. These investments are part of a statewide strategy designed to save lives and reduce overdose deaths.
  
  
• $9.3 billion for provider tax revenue that helps sustain Medicaid services including well child visits, prenatal care, psychiatric counseling, substance use disorder treatment and chemotherapy.
  
  
• $30 million for Food Assistance Reinvestment to help reduce SNAP error rates. This funding will allow the department to continue making significant strides to reduce its payment error rate.
  
  
• $26.2 million for a statewide expansion of the Family Impact Teams, an innovative program that helps keep children at risk of neglect safely in their homes by delivering services and assistance to families such as food and housing assistance, Medicaid programs and other basic needs.
  
  
• $16 million to transition to EBT chip cards for the SNAP program to reduce incidences of stolen benefits through card cloning and skimming.
  
  

• $3.1 million to reduce community violence and support efforts of the Office of Community Violence, which leads statewide efforts to reduce gun violence and save lives.

• $5.1 million to improve access to behavioral health care where, when and at the level people need it by supporting the continuation and stabilization of behavioral health services across Michigan communities. These resources will help sustain access to critical mental health and substance use disorder supports, particularly in underserved areas, and give us the flexibility to address emerging needs.