Merged SC agency for developmental disabilities, mental health cuts 248 jobs
Nearly 50 people who work at a state agency that helps people with developmental disabilities, mental health and substance abuse, lost their jobs this week as part of a reorganization of the agency.
The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, which was created in 2025, eliminated 248 positions Tuesday, 47 of which were filled. The rest of the jobs were vacant. Those positions were all administrative including finance, human resources, facilities and information technology, department spokeswoman Beth Moore told The State in an email.
The cuts, authorized by lawmakers, was done “in an effort to maximize efficiency, identify any duplicative services, and eliminate redundancy.”
“We recognize the significant impact this has had on the employees affected and their families,” Moore said in the email. “We are doing everything we can, within state rules, to provide them with support. This includes assistance identifying other state employment opportunities and clear information about benefits and next steps.”
The agency was created when the General Assembly merged the Department of Development Disabilities, Department of Mental Health and the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services. Gov. Henry McMaster has yet to appoint a full-time agency director for the new department. Each of the agency’s three offices has its own director.
“The search for a permanent director of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities remains ongoing. In the meantime, because BHDD is a cabinet agency, the Governor and the Governor’s staff continue to provide guidance and oversee the agency,” McMaster spokeswoman Michelle LeClair said in a statement to The State.
When the agency was created, lawmakers required the leadership to consolidate the agency’s administrative services.
Under a provision included in last year’s state budget, the agency had to report lawmakers details of its structural reorganization and had the authority to carry out reductions in force by June 30.
“The agency needed time to conduct a thorough review of the administrative structure across three predecessor agencies,” Moore wrote. “Doing this carefully was the right call for employees and to ensure that the agency remains functional and able to fulfill its mission.”
This story was originally published July 2, 2026 at 11:32 AM.
