Proposed eligibility changes would require individuals to fail in the community and use more costly and restrictive services before accessing community based services.  Therapeutic Foster Case Providers are not required to provide independent living skills training - denying access to MH Skill-building services increases risk for homelessness and psychiatric hospitalization.  Additionally, proposed changes to units and rates will negatively impact rural service areas where day-to-day operational costs exceed the proposed hourly rate.  This will drastically reduce the number of individuals we can serve.  These changes will be a huge step backwards in providing effective community based services to individuals with serious mental illnesses.