Amended in Assembly June 30, 2014

Amended in Assembly June 18, 2014

Amended in Senate April 17, 2013

Senate BillNo. 18


Introduced by Senatorsbegin delete Hernandez and Lenoend deletebegin insert Leno and Hernandezend insert

December 3, 2012


An act relating to Medi-Cal, and making an appropriation therefor.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 18, as amended, begin deleteHernandezend delete begin insertLenoend insert. Medi-Cal renewal.

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 establishes the Healthcare Outreach and Medi-Cal Enrollment Account to collect and allocate non-General Fund public or private grant funds for expenditure, upon appropriation of the Legislature, for outreach to and enrollment of target Medi-Cal populations and to compensate Medi-Cal in-person assisters.

This bill would require the State Department of Health Care Services to accept contributions by private foundations in the amount of at least $6,000,000 for the purpose of providing Medi-Cal renewal assistance payments, as specified. The bill would also appropriate $6,000,000 from the Healthcare Outreach and Medi-Cal Enrollment Account, to be available for encumbrance or expenditure until December 31, 2016, and authorize the use of previously appropriated funds in that account for this purpose. The bill would require the department to seek federal matching funds for the contributions to the extent permissible for training, testing, certifying, supportingbegin insert,end insert and compensating persons and entities providing renewal assistance and for any other permissible renewal assistance related activitiesbegin insert,end insert and to seek all necessary federal approvals for purposes of obtaining federal funding.begin insert The bill would also require the department, in collaboration with the County Welfare Directors Association and legal services organizations, to develop renewal assistance training for employees of community-based organizations, as specified.end insert

Vote: majority. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

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SECTION 1.  

(a) (1) The State Department of Health Care
2Services shall accept contributions by private foundations in the
3amount of at least six million dollars ($6,000,000) for the purpose
4of providing Medi-Cal renewal assistance payments starting
5January 1, 2015. These contributions shall be deposited in the
6Healthcare Outreach and Medi-Cal Enrollment Account that has
7been created in the Special Deposit Fund within the State Treasury
8for the purposes specified in this section.

9(2) Six million dollars is hereby appropriated to the State
10Department of Health Care Services from the Healthcare Outreach
11and Medi-Cal Enrollment Account for the purposes specified in
12this section, to be available for encumbrance or expenditure until
13December 31, 2016.

14(3) The department may expend a portion of the five hundred
15thousand dollars ($500,000) authorized for expenditure in
16subdivision (d) of Section 5 of Chapter 361 of the Statutes of 2013
17to administer the activities described in this section. Private
18foundation funding expended by the department to administer the
19activities described in this section shall be expended only for filled
20positions and administrative expenses directly related to this
21section.

22(b) (1) Notwithstanding any other law, and in a manner that
23the Director of the State Department of Health Care Services shall
24provide, the department may make allocations to fund Medi-Cal
25renewal assistance activities as described in this section.

P3    1(2) The department may determine the number of allocations
2and the application process. The director may consult or obtain
3technical assistance from private foundations in implementation
4of the application and allocation process.

5(3) The director may, at his or her discretion, give consideration
6to distributing funds to community-based organizations in an area
7or region of the state if abegin delete county,end deletebegin insert countyend insert or countiesbegin insert,end insert acting jointlybegin insert,end insert
8 do not seek an allocation orbegin insert ifend insert funds are made available.

9(c) Renewal assistance payments shall be distributed to
10community-based organizations providing renewal assistance to
11Medi-Cal beneficiaries. Authorized payments shall be made to
12counties by the department for distribution of funds to
13community-based organizations. Counties may retain an amount
14for administrative costs that have been approved by the department.

15(d) The department, in collaboration with the County Welfare
16Directors Associationbegin insert and legal services organizationsend insert, shall
17develop renewal assistance training for employees of
18community-based organizations that shall be consistent with the
19counties’ human services agencies Medi-Cal redetermination
20timeframes and process. In order to be eligible for renewal
21assistance payments under this section, the community-based
22organization’s employees providing the assistance shall have
23completed the renewal assistance training developed under this
24subdivision.

25(e) (1) The funds allocated under this section shall be used only
26for the Medi-Cal renewal assistance activities and may supplement,
27but shall not supplant, existing local, state, and foundation funding
28of county renewal assistance activities.

29(2) Notwithstanding Section 10744 of the Welfare and
30Institutions Code, the department may recoup or withhold all or
31part of an allocation for failure to comply with any requirements
32or standards set forth by the department for the purposes of this
33section.

34(f) The department shall require progress reports, in a manner
35as determined by the department, from those receiving allocations
36under this section.

37(g) The department shall seek federal matching funds for the
38contributions to the extent permissible for training, testing,
39certifying, supporting, and compensating persons and entities
40providing renewal assistance and for any other permissible renewal
P4    1assistance related activities and shall seek all necessary federal
2approvals for purposes of obtaining federal funding for activities
3conducted under this section.

4(h) To the extent federal funding is received for the services
5specified in this section, reimbursements for costs incurred under
6the approved allocations shall be made in compliance with federal
7law.

8(i) Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section
911340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code,
10the department may implement, interpret, or make specific this
11section by means of all-county letters, provider bulletins, or similar
12 instructions.

13(j) This section shall cease to be implemented when all of the
14private contributions and any federal matching funds have been
15exhausted.



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