Read the full stored bill text
LEGISLATURE OF NEBRASKA
ONE HUNDRED NINTH LEGISLATURE
SECOND SESSION
LEGISLATIVE BILL 860
Introduced by Bostar, 29.
Read first time January 08, 2026
Committee: Health and Human Services
A BILL FOR AN ACT relating to behavioral health services; to amend1
section 71-801, Revised Statutes Cumulative Supplement, 2024; to2
require the Department of Health and Human Services to create a3
program to provide behavioral health services to individuals under4
twenty-one years of age as prescribed; and to repeal the original5
section. 6
Be it enacted by the people of the State of Nebraska,7
LB860
2026
LB860
2026
-1-
Section 1. Section 71-801, Revised Statutes Cumulative Supplement,1
2024, is amended to read: 2
71-801 Sections 71-801 to 71-830 , sections 2 to 3 of this act, and3
the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Act shall be known and4
may be cited as the Nebraska Behavioral Health Services Act.5
Sec. 2. (1) No later than January 1, 2027, the Department of Health6
and Human Services shall establish a program that provides access and7
services for individuals under twenty-one years of age who are8
experiencing complex behavioral health care needs. 9
(2) The department shall ensure that: (a) The program addresses the10
behavioral health care of individuals under twenty-one years of age who11
have complex, multisystem needs, with the goals of supporting families in12
the community and preventing institutionalization and out-of-home care13
placement; and (b) care management under the program is delivered14
according to the needs of the individual and the individual's family.15
Sec. 3. (1) The department shall provide the following services16
within the program described in section 2 of this act, including, but not17
limited to: 18
(a) Mobile response and stabilization; 19
(b) Intensive home-based treatment; 20
(c) Inpatient and outpatient care; 21
(d) Psychiatric residential treatment facility care;22
(e) Substance use disorder treatment; 23
(f) Psychiatric care; and 24
(g) Developmental disability care. 25
(2) Care coordination shall be provided through the behavioral26
health regions, as determined by the department. The department may27
procure a single, statewide managed care plan that builds a sufficient28
provider network to ensure access to behavioral health services,29
including residential treatment and home and community-based services, in30
order to provide a full continuum of behavioral health care. The31
LB860
2026
LB860
2026
-2-
department or a managed care organization may manage administrative care1
coordination, utilization management, and quality improvement efforts2
under this section. 3
(3) The department may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to4
implement sections 2 to 3 of this act and if necessary, shall submit to5
the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a state plan6
amendment, a waiver request, or an application for other federal approval7
necessary to provide reimbursement through the medical assistance program8
for the behavioral health care services described in this section.9
Sec. 4. Original section 71-801, Revised Statutes Cumulative10
Supplement, 2024, is repealed. 11
LB860
2026
LB860
2026
-3-