BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 1758
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   April 14, 2010

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                   AB 1758 (Ammiano) - As Amended:  March 25, 2010 

          Policy Committee:                              Human  
          ServicesVote:6-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill removes all obsolete references to a pilot project  
          from the wrap-around services program established as a pilot in  
          1996. Specifically, this bill: 

          1)Removes "pilot project" references from the statutes  
            concerning the county wrap-around services program  
            administered by the Department of Social Services (DSS).

          2)Adds nonrelative extended family members to the list of family  
            members and guardians eligible for wrap-around services.

          3)Clarifies that a dependent or ward categorically eligible for  
            Medi-Cal without a share of cost shall remain eligible  
            regardless of their placement during the wrap-around services  
            program. 

          4)Clarifies that a county terminating a wrap-around services  
            program will ensure that all participating children's service  
            needs continue to be met without interruption until his or her  
            case is closed.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          There are no significant costs associated with this legislation.  


           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale  . This bill is intended to clean up the wrap-around  
            services statute by removing any references to the original  








                                                                  AB 1758
                                                                  Page  2

            implementing pilot project, making technical clarifications to  
            the statute regarding continuing Medi-Cal eligibility for  
            foster children in the wrap-around program, and clarifying  
            that foster children's service needs must continue to be met  
            if a county terminates its wrap-around program.

           2)Wrap-around Services  . Wrap-around refers to a program that  
            provides comprehensive social and other services that are  
            wrapped around a child and family.  California's program was  
            developed to support the placement of children in family-based  
            settings, rather than group homes or institutional settings.   
            Children are eligible for a period determined by an  
            individualized services plan if they have been adjudicated as  
            dependents or wards and would be placed in a group home with a  
            Rate Classification Level (RCL) of 10 or higher, or if they  
            would be voluntarily placed in out-of-home care through the  
            special education system.  

            There are at least 39 counties currently participating in the  
            program.  According to DSS, most counties' programs are led by  
            community-based agencies.  Based on county reports to DSS,  
            there were about 3,000 children statewide served by  
            wrap-around (with nearly half in Los Angeles) in July, 2008.  

           3)Related Legislation  . In 2009, early versions of AB 295  
            (Ammiano; Chapter 427, Statutes of 2009) contained the  
            provisions included in this legislation.  That language was  
            removed by the author in the Senate. 

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081