The Arc of Texas Provides Input on Outpatient Biopsychosocial (OBI) Services

Verbal Testimony from The Arc of Texas on SB 1

Chairwoman Orr, Vice Chair Howard, and members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My name is Michael Clarke, and I am the Deputy Director of Public Policy & Advocacy for The Arc of Texas. We appreciate your commitment to improving services for Texans with IDD, especially those with co-occurring mental health conditions. Your investment in the Outpatient Biopsychosocial Approach for IDD Services (OBI) has provided critical support to a long-overlooked population.

People with dual diagnoses face unique challenges accessing appropriate care. Too often, they fall through the cracks—bouncing between systems unequipped to address both their mental health and disability-related needs. Without the right supports, many experience crises, unnecessary hospitalizations, and incarceration. OBI was designed to change that, and it has already shown tremendous success.

Since its launch, OBI has helped keep people in their communities while avoiding crisis situations. However, demand far exceeds current capacity. At least three sites have waitlists, including Harris County, where 170 individuals are waiting for services.

We sincerely appreciate the legislature’s interest in expanding OBI through the agency’s Exceptional Item 8 request. However, we want to highlight an important point. The original pilot sites were funded at $300,000 to serve both adults and children. It is our understanding that the current exceptional item would expand services solely to children and fund sites at $200,000 each. While expanding services for children is a crucial step, the need does not stop there.

The Arc of Texas strongly supports funding OBI at a level that ensures both children and adults can benefit from these life-changing services. We respectfully request at least $300,000 per site, explicitly designated to serve both adults and children, as originally allocated during the pilot, to maintain the integrity of this proven model. By doing so, we can continue to break down silos between IDD and mental health services and ensure that no one is overlooked.

Thank you for your leadership and investment in this critical issue. I am happy to answer any questions.