BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1758|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 1758
Author: Ammiano (D)
Amended: 6/30/10 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE : 5-0, 6/22/10
AYES: Liu, Emmerson, Romero, Runner, Yee
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 9-0, 8/2/10
AYES: Kehoe, Ashburn, Corbett, Emmerson, Leno, Price,
Wolk, Wyland, Yee
NO VOTE RECORDED: Alquist, Walters
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 74-0, 4/22/10 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : County wraparound services program
SOURCE : California Alliance of Child and Family
Services
City and County of San Francisco
County Welfare Directors Association
DIGEST : This bill amends Section 18250 of the Welfare
and Institutions code to remove all references to "pilot
project" status of county-authorized wrap-around services,
striking "pilot projects" and replacing the phrase with the
designation of "wrap-around services program." This bill
also replaces "academic performance" with "stability in the
least restrictive school placement," in the list of
outcomes evaluated in each county's wrap-around services
program.
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ANALYSIS : Under existing law, the Department of Social
Services (DSS) administers a pilot project that authorizes
a county to develop and implement a plan for providing
wraparound services designed to enable children who would
otherwise be placed in a group home setting to remain in
the least restrictive, most family-like setting possible.
The pilot project also imposes specified evaluation and
reporting requirements for participating counties, and
training requirements for staff in participating counties.
Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program,
administered by the State Department of Health Care
Services, under which eligible low-income persons are
provided with health care services.
This bill amends Section 18250 of the Welfare and
Institutions code to remove all references to "pilot
project" status of county-authorized wrap-around services,
striking "pilot projects" and replacing the phrase with the
designation of "wrap-around services program." This bill
also replaces "academic performance" with "stability in the
least restrictive school placement," in the list of
outcomes evaluated in each county's wrap-around services
program.
This bill also declares that pursuant to existing law
children categorically eligible for Medi-Cal benefits
without a share of cost due to receipt of benefits under
the AFDC-FC program shall remain eligible for Medi-Cal
benefits during participation in the wraparound services
program.
This bill specifically states that a child who is
categorically eligible for Medi-Cal benefits without a
share of cost due to receipt of benefits under the AFDC-FC
program shall remain eligible for Medi-Cal benefits during
participation in the wraparound services program, provided
the child remains an eligible child under the standards of
existing law. This provision clarifies existing law, and
does not expand Medi-Cal eligibility. It is intended to
stop counties from mistakenly removing the Medi-Cal
coverage of eligible children due to confusion about the
program.
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Background
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 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.
Comments
This bill is intended to clean up the wrap-around services
statute by removing any references to the original
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.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2010-11
2011-12 2012-13 Fund
Code clean-up $0 $0 $0
General
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Clarifies Medi-Cal eligibility likely very minor costs, to
the extent that General
eligible youth were mistakenly
deniedFederal
coverage
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/3/10)
California Alliance of Child and Family Services
(co-source)
City and County of San Francisco (co-source)
County Welfare Directors Association (co-source)
Aspiranet
California Communities United Institute
California Probation Parole and Correctional Association
California State Association of Counties
Chief Probation Officers of California
County Mental Health Directors Association
County of Del Norte
County of Los Angeles
County of Los Angeles, Department of Children and Family
Services
County of San Diego
Junior Leagues of California
National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The California Alliance of Child
and Family Services writes that the bill makes technical,
but critical, changes to the statute governing the
wraparound program by eliminating its pilot status and
codifying some elements of current practice. The City and
County of San Francisco notes that Los Angeles County's
wraparound program cites, for 2008, higher family
reunification rates, shorter lengths of stay in foster
care, fewer and less restrictive placements, better scores
on child and adolescent functioning tests, and
substantially lower average placement costs for wraparound
participants compared to their peers in group homes.
The County Welfare Directors Association, the California
State Association of Counties, and the County Mental Health
Directors Association writes that, since the pilot was
created more than a decade ago, the program provides the
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necessary services and assistance to help parents of
children with mental health issues and provide treatment
services to the children. These organizations state that
the wraparound model has been shown to be successful and
cost-effective in California and other states.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Bass, Beall,
Bill Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block,
Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Charles Calderon, Carter,
Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon,
DeVore, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong,
Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick,
Gilmore, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill,
Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Lieu, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal,
Ma, Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande, Niello,
Nielsen, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino, Ruskin, Salas,
Saldana, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra
Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran,
Villines, Yamada, John A. Perez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Blumenfield, Caballero, Huber, Huffman,
Norby
CTW:nl 8/3/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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