On April 28, 2025, Governor Henry McMaster signed a state law establishing the South Carolina Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. 

This legislation merged three previously existing agencies – the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, and the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services – into a single cabinet-level agency. 

The consolidation was designed to reduce fragmentation and duplication across the state’s behavioral health and disability services, establish clear lines of accountability, and deliver a more holistic and streamlined system of care for South Carolinians.