AB 1124, as amended, 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.
begin insertThis bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
end insertVote: begin deletemajority end deletebegin insert2⁄3end insert.
Appropriation: no.
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2Code is repealed.
Section 14124.11 is added to the Welfare and
4Institutions Code, to read:
(a) The department shall utilize the federal Public
6Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS) to identify
7veterans and their dependents or survivors who are enrolled in the
8Medi-Cal program and assist them in obtaining federal veteran
9health care benefits.
10(b) The department shall exchange information with PARIS
11and identify veterans and their dependents or survivors who are
12receiving Medi-Cal benefits.
13(c) The department shall refer identified
Medi-Cal beneficiaries
14who are receiving high-cost services, including long-term care, to
15county veteran service officers (CVSOs) to obtain information
16regarding, and assistance in obtaining, USDVA benefits.
17(d) In implementing this section, the department shall do all of
18the following:
19(1) Enter into an agreement with the California Department of
20Veterans Affairs (CDVA) to perform CVSO outreach services.
21The CDVA agreement shall contain performance standards that
22will allow the department to measure the effectiveness of the
23program established by this section.
24(2) Enter into any agreements that are required by the federal
25government to utilize the PARIS system.
26(3) Perform any information technology activities that are
27necessary to utilize the PARIS system.
28(e) Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section
2911340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code,
30the department may implement, interpret, or make specific this
P3 1section by means of written directives without taking further
2regulatory action.
3(f) In order to achieve maximum cost savings, the Legislature
4hereby
determines that an expedited contract process for contracts
5under this section is necessary. Therefore, contracts under this
6section shall be exempt from the Public Contract Code and from
7Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 11250) of Part 1 of Division
83 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
This act is an urgency statute necessary for the
10immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within
11the meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into
12immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
13In order to ensure that veterans and their dependents or
14survivors throughout the state who are enrolled in the Medi-Cal
15program receive assistance in obtaining federal veteran health
16care benefits as soon as
possible, it is necessary that this act take
17effect immediately.
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