BILL NUMBER:  AB 96
  VETOED	DATE: 07/25/2011




To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 96 without my signature.

The bill would recreate, under a different name, the same Adult Day
Health Care (ADHC) program that was eliminated as a Medi-Cal optional
benefit through the 2011-12 Budget Act. While my Administration
deeply shares the goal of "Keeping Adults Free from Institutions,"
creating a new ADHC look-alike program at this juncture is
unnecessary and untimely. It does not address the immediate need to
transition ADHC beneficiaries to other home and community- based
services that can meet their needs, and would cause confusion for
both consumers and providers about when an ill-defined "KAFI" program
would be available.

In order to ensure that ADHC beneficiaries do not face the risk of
unnecessary institutionalization when the benefit expires, my
Administration is currently working with adult day health centers,
managed care plans, and local community-based organizations to ensure
that needed medical services and home and community-based services
are available. Additionally, in order to ensure that there is enough
time for transition to such services, the Department of Health Care
Services recently extended the ADHC benefit through administrative
action until December 1, 2011, with federal funding approval.

Given the importance of these transition efforts, I am directing the
Department of Health Care Services to work with the Legislature,
stakeholders, managed care plans, and home and community-based
services providers to ensure that ADHC beneficiaries will have a
smooth transition to appropriate services, and those who are most at
risk of institutionalization have access to services that will help
them remain in the community.

Care in an integrated setting will be part of my Administration's
plan to improve long-term care. To the extent that adult day health
care-type services can become part of an integrated continuum of
care, my Administration will work to bring such providers into the
conversation on how these services can be efficiently and effectively
delivered for the benefit of consumers.




For this reason, I am signing Senate Bill 91, which will allow adult
day health centers to continue to operate after the fee-for-service
payments under Medi-Cal expire. This will allow adult day health
centers to be considered a care option as part of an integrated
delivery system, or for consumers who may wish to access services
apart from Medi-Cal.

Sincerely,



Edmund G. Brown Jr.