                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

POWERS AND DUTIES OF BOARD (§ 37.2-203)

The Board shall have the following powers and duties:

1. To develop and establish programmatic and fiscal policies governing the
operation of state hospitals, training centers, community services boards, and
behavioral health authorities;

2. To ensure the development of long-range programs and plans for mental health,
developmental, and substance abuse services provided by the Department,
community services boards, and behavioral health authorities;

3. To review and comment on all budgets and requests for appropriations for the
Department prior to their submission to the Governor and on all applications for
federal funds;

4. To monitor the activities of the Department and its effectiveness in
implementing the policies of the Board;

5. To advise the Governor, Commissioner, and General Assembly on matters
relating to mental health, developmental, and substance abuse services;

6. To adopt regulations that may be necessary to carry out the provisions of
this title and other laws of the Commonwealth administered by the Commissioner
or the Department;

7. To ensure the development of programs to educate citizens about and elicit
public support for the activities of the Department, community services boards,
and behavioral health authorities;

8. To ensure that the Department assumes the responsibility for providing for
education and training of school-age individuals receiving services in state
facilities, pursuant to &#xA7; 37.2-312;

9. To change the names of state facilities;

10. To adopt regulations that establish the qualifications, education, and
experience for registration of peer recovery specialists by the Board of
Counseling;

11. To ensure that the Department develops specific goals and objectives for the
delivery of services to individuals with mental illness, developmental
disabilities, or substance use disorders by community services boards and
behavioral health authorities that are consistent with the purposes set forth in
&#xA7;&#xA7; 37.2-508 and 37.2-608 and that would enable the Board to advise the
Governor, Commissioner, and General Assembly on matters related to community
behavioral health and developmental services; and

12. To monitor the Department&#8217;s performance regarding its regular, ongoing
monitoring of community services boards&#8217; and behavioral health
authorities&#8217; compliance with the performance contract requirements set
forth in &#xA7;&#xA7; 37.2-508 and 37.2-608 and to make recommendations, as
applicable, to the Department regarding improvement of such monitoring
activities.
			Prior to the adoption, amendment, or repeal of any regulation regarding
substance abuse services, the Board shall, in addition to the procedures set
forth in the Administrative Process Act (&#xA7; 2.2-4000 et seq.), present the
proposed regulation to the Virginia Addiction Recovery Council, established
pursuant to &#xA7; 2.2-2696, at least 30 days prior to the Board&#8217;s action
for the Council&#8217;s review and comment.

HISTORY: Code 1950, §§ 37-1, 37-2, 37-4, 37-5, 37-34; 1954, c. 668; 1960, c.
133; 1968, c. 477, §§ 37.1-10, 37.1-34; 1976, cc. 671, 739, § 37.1-223; 1979,
c. 41; 1980, c. 582; 1984, c. 720; 1985, c. 207; 1998, c. 724; 2005, c. 716;
2012, cc. 476, 507; 2017, cc. 418, 426; 2023, cc. 466, 484, 754, 790.