South Carolina’s Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities eliminated 248 administrative positions June 30, including 47 filled jobs and 201 vacant positions, according to a July 1 report from Fox Carolina.
Here are three things to know:
- The layoffs affected only administrative roles. Direct care employees were not included, and the agency said services would continue without interruption. A BHDD spokesperson said the reductions were intended to improve efficiency and fulfill the agency’s consolidation goals.
- The department was created under Act 3, signed by Gov. Henry McMaster in 2025, which merged the state Department of Mental Health, Department of Disabilities and Special Needs and Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services into one agency. The workforce reductions were authorized under the state’s fiscal year 2026 budget, which directed the Department of Administration to review the agency’s structure and implement any necessary reorganization.
- Some affected employees said they were not expecting the layoffs. Anna Montanucci, an administrative specialist who had worked for the agency for more than two years, told Fox Carolina she learned she had lost her job while she was on vacation.
Becker’s has reached out for comment and will update this story if information becomes available.
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