AB 1124, as introduced, Muratsuchi. Medi-Cal: Public Assistance Reporting Information System.
Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid Program provisions. Existing law requires the department to establish a 2-year pilot program to utilize the federal Public Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS) to identify veterans and their dependents or survivors who are enrolled in the Medi-Cal program and assist them in obtaining federal veteran health care benefits. Existing law requires the department to select 3 counties, as specified, to participate in the pilot project and authorizes the department to implement the program statewide at any time and continue the operation of PARIS indefinitely if the department determines that the pilot program is cost effective.
This bill would remove the pilot project status of these provisions and would require the department to implement this program statewide. The bill would also appropriate an unspecified sum from the General Fund to the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide funding for county veteran service officers to identify veterans and their dependents or survivors who are enrolled in the Medi-Cal program and to assist them in obtaining federal veteran health care benefits.
Vote: 2⁄3. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 14124.11 of the Welfare and Institutions
2Code is repealed.
(a) The department shall establish a two-year pilot
4program to utilize the federal Public Assistance Reporting
5Information System (PARIS) to identify veterans and their
6dependents or survivors who are enrolled in the Medi-Cal program
7and assist them in obtaining federal veteran health care benefits.
8(b) The department shall select three consenting counties that
9have in operation a United States Department of Veterans Affairs
10(USDVA) medical center to participate in the pilot
program.
11(c) Under the pilot program, the department shall exchange
12information with PARIS and identify veterans and their dependents
13or survivors who are receiving Medi-Cal benefits in the pilot
14program counties.
15(d) The department shall refer identified Medi-Cal beneficiaries
16who are receiving high-cost services, including long-term care, to
17county veteran service officers (CVSOs) to obtain information
18regarding, and assistance in obtaining, USDVA benefits.
19(e) Prior to commencement of the pilot program, the department
20shall do all of the following:
21(1) Enter into an agreement with the California Department of
22Veterans Affairs (CDVA) to perform CVSO outreach services in
23connection with the pilot program. The CDVA agreement shall
24contain performance
standards that would allow the department
25to measure the effectiveness of the pilot program.
26(2) Enter into any agreements that are required by the federal
27government to utilize the PARIS system.
28(3) Perform any information technology activities that are
29necessary to utilize the PARIS system.
30(f) The department shall monitor the two-year pilot program,
31evaluate the outcomes and savings, and provide the fiscal
32committees of the Legislature with a report on the findings and
P3 1recommendations. If the department determines that the pilot
2program is cost effective, it may implement the program statewide
3at any time and continue operation of PARIS indefinitely.
4(g) Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section
511340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of
the Government Code,
6the department may implement, interpret, or make specific, this
7section by means of written directives without taking further
8regulatory action.
9(h) The department shall implement the pilot program by July
101, 2009.
11(i) In order to achieve maximum cost savings the Legislature
12hereby determines that an expedited contract process for contracts
13under this section is necessary. Therefore, contracts under this
14section shall be exempt from the Public Contract Code and from
15Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 11250) of Part 1 of Division
163 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
Section 14124.11 is added to the Welfare and
18Institutions Code, to read:
(a) The department shall utilize the federal Public
20Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS) to identify
21veterans and their dependents or survivors who are enrolled in the
22Medi-Cal program and assist them in obtaining federal veteran
23health care benefits.
24(b) The department shall exchange information with PARIS
25and identify veterans and their dependents or survivors who are
26receiving Medi-Cal benefits.
27(c) The department shall refer identified Medi-Cal beneficiaries
28who are receiving high-cost
services, including long-term care, to
29county veteran service officers (CVSOs) to obtain information
30regarding, and assistance in obtaining, USDVA benefits.
31(d) In implementing this section, the department shall do all of
32the following:
33(1) Enter into an agreement with the California Department of
34Veterans Affairs (CDVA) to perform CVSO outreach services.
35The CDVA agreement shall contain performance standards that
36will allow the department to measure the effectiveness of the
37program established by this section.
38(2) Enter into any agreements that are required by the federal
39government to utilize the PARIS system.
P4 1(3) Perform any information technology activities that are
2necessary to utilize the PARIS system.
3(e) Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section
411340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code,
5the department may implement, interpret, or make specific this
6section by means of written directives without taking further
7regulatory action.
8(f) In order to achieve maximum cost savings, the Legislature
9hereby determines that an expedited contract process for contracts
10under this section is necessary. Therefore, contracts under this
11section shall be exempt from the Public Contract Code and from
12Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 11250) of Part 1 of Division
133 of Title 2
of the Government Code.
14(g) Notwithstanding any other law, the sum of ____ dollars
15($____) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the
16Department of Veterans Affairs to provide funding for county
17veteran service officers to identify veterans and their dependents
18or survivors who are enrolled in the Medi-Cal program and to
19assist them in obtaining federal veteran health care benefits.
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