SB 18, as amended, Leno. 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 Accountbegin insert and $6,000,000 from the Federal Trust Fend insertbegin insertundend insert, 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, supporting, and compensating persons and entities providing renewal assistance and for any other permissible renewal assistance related activities, and to seek all necessary federal approvals for purposes of obtaining federal funding. 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.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
(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(2) There is hereby appropriated to the State Department of
15Health Care Services the following sums for the purposes specified
16in this section:
17(A) The sum of six million dollars ($6,000,000) from the
18Healthcare Outreach and Medi-Cal Enrollment Account, to be
19available for encumbrance or expenditure until December 31,
202016.
21(B) The sum of six million dollars ($6,000,000) from the Federal
22Trust Fund, to be available for encumbrance or expenditure
until
23December 31, 2016.
24(3) The department may expend a portion of the five hundred
25thousand dollars ($500,000) authorized for expenditure in
P3 1subdivision (d) of Section 5 of Chapter 361 of the Statutes of 2013
2to administer the activities described in this section. Private
3foundation funding expended by the department to administer the
4activities described in this section shall be expended only for filled
5positions and administrative expenses directly related to this
6section.
7(b) (1) Notwithstanding any other law, and in a manner that
8the Director of the State Department of Health Care Services shall
9provide, the department may make allocations to fund Medi-Cal
10renewal assistance activities as described in this section.
11(2) The department may determine the number of allocations
12and the application process. The director may consult or obtain
13technical assistance from private foundations in implementation
14of the application and allocation process.
15(3) The director may, at his or her discretion, give consideration
16to distributing funds to community-based organizations in an area
17or region of the state if a county or counties, acting jointly,
do not
18seek an allocation or if funds are made available.
19(c) Renewal assistance payments shall be distributed to
20community-based organizations providing renewal assistance to
21Medi-Cal beneficiaries. Authorized payments shall be made to
22counties by the department for distribution of funds to
23community-based organizations. Counties may retain an amount
24for administrative costs that have been approved by the department.
25(d) The department, in collaboration with the County Welfare
26Directors Association and legal services organizations, shall
27develop renewal assistance training for employees of
28community-based organizations that shall be consistent with the
29counties’ human services agencies Medi-Cal redetermination
30timeframes and process. In order to be eligible for renewal
31assistance
payments under this section, the community-based
32organization’s employees providing the assistance shall have
33completed the renewal assistance training developed under this
34subdivision.
35(e) (1) The funds allocated under this section shall be used only
36for the Medi-Cal renewal assistance activities and may supplement,
37but shall not supplant, existing local, state, and foundation funding
38of county renewal assistance activities.
39(2) Notwithstanding Section 10744 of the Welfare and
40Institutions Code, the department may recoup or withhold all or
P4 1part of an allocation for failure to comply with any requirements
2or standards set forth by the department for the purposes of this
3section.
4(f) The
department shall require progress reports, in a manner
5as determined by the department, from those receiving allocations
6under this section.
7(g) The department shall seek federal matching funds for the
8contributions to the extent permissible for training, testing,
9certifying, supporting, and compensating persons and entities
10providing renewal assistance and for any other permissible renewal
11assistance related activities and shall seek all necessary federal
12approvals for purposes of obtaining federal funding for activities
13conducted under this section.
14(h) To the extent federal funding is received for the services
15specified in this section, reimbursements for costs incurred under
16the approved allocations shall be made in compliance with federal
17law.
18(i) Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section
1911340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code,
20the department may implement, interpret, or make specific this
21section by means of all-county letters, provider bulletins, or similar
22
instructions.
23(j) This section shall cease to be implemented when all of the
24private contributions and any federal matching funds have been
25exhausted.
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