BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 664 Page 1 Date of Hearing: April 29, 2015 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Jimmy Gomez, Chair AB 664 (Dodd) - As Introduced February 24, 2015 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Policy |Health |Vote:|17 - 0 | |Committee: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | |Aging and Long Term Care | |7 - 0 | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No SUMMARY: This bill requires a formal evaluation of a currently authorized Medi-Cal pilot project that is testing a "universal assessment tool" for standardized assessment of an individual's needs for long-term supports and services. AB 664 Page 2 FISCAL EFFECT: Costs in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) (50% GF/50% federal). COMMENTS: 1)Purpose. California has an array of programs and services for individuals who are aged or disabled. The programs are located in multiple agencies, use different delivery systems and challenge consumers seeking to access services. Universal assessment offers a single uniform process to connect services and corresponding data elements about service needs and preferences, while evaluating an individual consumer's needs in a consistent manner. This bill implements a recent recommendation of the Legislative Analyst's Office to require a formal evaluation of a current pilot related to universal assessment. 2)Background. In 2012, the Legislature recognized that competing eligibility determination and assessment processes create several forms of inefficiency in the administration of these programs, which include In-Home Supportive Services, Community-Based Adult Services, and Multipurpose Senior Services Program services. The Universal Assessment Tool (UAT) was identified as an alternative to the current assessment system. A UAT is a single application and data system that would streamline eligibility determinations and assessments. The intention is to shift the existing home and community-based services framework from a "program-based" approach to a "person-centered" approach. AB 664 Page 3 3)Prior Legislation. SB 1036 (Chapter 45, Statues of 2012) a trailer bill of the Budget Act of 2012, related to Human Services, required the development and implementation of a UAT pilot. Analysis Prepared by:Lisa Murawski / APPR. / (916) 319-2081