BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
AB 861 (Maienschein) - Mental health: community-based services
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|Version: May 12, 2015 |Policy Vote: HEALTH 9 - 0 |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: No |
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|Hearing Date: July 6, 2015 |Consultant: Brendan McCarthy |
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This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: AB 861 would require the Department of Health Care
Services to apply for a specified federal demonstration grant
program, provided that the Department receives an initial
planning grant related to the demonstration grant program.
Fiscal
Impact: One-time costs likely from $1 million to $2 million to
develop an application for the demonstration grant program by
the Department of Health Care Services (federal funds).
Background: Federal law authorizes a demonstration program that would
allow certified community behavioral health clinics in selected
states to receive enhanced federal matching funds for services
provided to Medicaid beneficiaries (Medi-Cal in California). The
program includes an initial grant process under which states can
apply for planning grants, in order to develop their
applications for the larger demonstration grant program. The
Department of Health Care Services is in the process of
AB 861 (Maienschein) Page 1 of
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developing its application for a planning grant. According to
the Department, if it is successful in receiving a planning
grant, the grant amount is likely to be $1 million to $2 million
and should be sufficient to pay for the costs to develop an
application to participate in the demonstration grant program.
Proposed Law:
AB 861 would require the Department of Health Care Services to
apply for a specified federal demonstration grant program,
provided that the Department receives an initial planning grant
related to the demonstration grant program.
The bill would require the Department to work with counties and
other stakeholders to identify unmet needs for services and
estimate the number of individuals that will need housing
services in the development of the application for a
demonstration grant. The bill would also require the
demonstration grant proposal to include provisions for the use
of county funds currently used to draw down federal matching
funds that will be freed up by the additional federal funding
that would be available under the demonstration grant program.
Related
Legislation: AB 847 (Mullin) would require the Department of
Health Care Services to apply for a planning grant under the
federal grant program addressed by this bill. That bill is in
this committee.
Staff
Comments: The Department of Health Care Services is currently
in the process of developing their application for a planning
grant, under this federal program. If the Department is awarded
a planning grant, it is likely that the Department would apply
for the larger demonstration grant. However, the Department does
not believe that it would be obligated to do so by federal law.
This bill would require the Department to apply for the
demonstration grant. If successfully awarded a demonstration
grant, the state would receive an unknown amount of additional
federal funding to provide mental health and behavioral health
services to Medi-Cal beneficiaries.
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