SB 614, as introduced, Leno. Medi-Cal: mental health services: peer and family support specialist certification.
Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income persons receive health care benefits. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid provisions. Existing law provides for a schedule of benefits under the Medi-Cal program and provides for various services, including various behavioral and mental health services.
Existing law, the Mental Health Services Act, an initiative measure enacted by the voters as Proposition 63 at the November 2, 2004, statewide general election, establishes the continuously appropriated Mental Health Services Fund to fund various county mental health programs. The act also requires funds to be reserved for the costs for the State Department of Health Care Services, the California Mental Health Planning Council, the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD), the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission, the State Department of Public Health, and any other state agency to implement all duties pursuant to certain programs provided for by the act, subject to appropriation in the annual Budget Act. The act provides that it may be amended by the Legislature by a 2⁄3 vote of each house as long as the amendment is consistent with and furthers the intent of the act, and that the Legislature may also clarify procedures and terms of he act by majority vote.
This bill would require the State Department of Health Care Services to establish, by July 1, 2016, a statewide peer and family support specialist certification program, as a part of the state’s comprehensive mental health delivery system. The bill would include 3 certification categories: adult peer support specialists, family peer support specialists, and parent peer support specialists. The certification program’s components would include, among others, defining responsibilities and practice guidelines, determining curriculum and core competencies, specifying training and continuing education requirements, and establishing a code of ethics and certification revocation processes.
This bill would require the department to collaborate with OSHPD and interested stakeholders in developing the certification program, and to obtain technical assistance pursuant to a specified joint state-county decisionmaking process. The bill would authorize the department to use funding provided through the MHSA and designated funds administered by OSHPD, to develop and administer the program.
This bill would require the department to amend the Medicaid state plan to include a certified peer and family support specialist as a provider type for purposes of the Medi-Cal program, but would implement this provision only if and to the extent that federal financial participation is available and the department obtains all necessary federal approvals.
This bill would declare that it clarifies terms and procedures under the Mental Health Services Act.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Article 1.4 (commencing with Section 14045.10)
2is added to Chapter 7 of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and
3Institutions Code, to read:
4
This article shall be known, and may be cited, as
8the Peer and Family Support Specialist Certification Program Act
9of 2015.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:
3(a) With the enactment of the Mental Health Services Act in
42004, support to include peer providers identified as consumers,
5parents, and family members for the provision of services has been
6on the rise.
7(b) There are over 6,000 peer support specialists in California
8who provide individualized support, coaching, facilitation, and
9education to clients with mental health care needs, in a variety of
10settings, yet no statewide scope of practice, standardized
11curriculum, training standards, supervision standards, or
12certification protocol is available.
13(c) The United States
Department of Veterans Affairs and over
1430 states utilize standardized curricula and certification protocols
15for peer provider services.
16(d) The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
17(CMS) recognizes peer support services as an evidence-based
18mental health model of care and notes it is an important component
19in a state’s delivery of effective treatment. The CMS encourages
20states to offer peer support services as a component of a
21comprehensive mental health delivery system and federal financial
22participation is available for this purpose.
23(e) A substantial number of research studies demonstrate that
24peer providers improve client functioning, increase client
25satisfaction, reduce family burden, alleviate depression and other
26symptoms, reduce hospitalizations and hospital days, increase
27client activation, and enhance client self-advocacy.
28(f) Certification at the state level can incentivize the public
29mental health system to increase the number, diversity, and
30availability of peer providers and peer-driven services.
It is the intent of the Legislature that the peer and
32family support specialist certification program, established under
33this article, achieve all of the following:
34(a) Establish the ongoing provision of peer support services for
35beneficiaries with mental health care needs by certified peer support
36specialists, including adults 18 years of age or older.
37(b) Provide increased family support, building on the strengths
38of families and helping them achieve desired outcomes.
39(c) Provide a part of a wraparound continuum of services, in
40conjunction with other community mental health services.
P4 1(d) Collaborate with others providing care or support to the
2beneficiary or family.
3(e) Assist parents, when applicable, in developing coping
4mechanisms and problem-solving skills.
5(f) Provide an individualized focus on the beneficiary, the
6family, or both, as needed.
7(g) Promote socialization, recovery, self-sufficiency,
8self-advocacy, development of natural supports, and maintenance
9of skills learned in other support services.
No later than July 1, 2016, the department shall
11establish a certified peer and family support specialist program,
12which at a minimum, shall do all of the following:
13(a) Provide for a statewide certification for each of the following
14categories:
15(1) Adult peer support specialists, 18 years of age or older.
16(2) Family peer support specialists.
17(3) Parent peer support specialists.
18(b) Define the range of responsibilities and practice guidelines
19for peer support specialists.
20(c) Determine curriculum and core competencies, including
21areas of specialization, such as veterans, family support, and
22forensics.
23(d) Specify required training and continuing education
24requirements for certification.
25(e) Determine clinical supervision requirements for personnel
26certified under this section.
27(f) Establish a code of ethics and processes for revocation of
28certification.
29(g) Determine the process for certification renewal.
The department shall closely collaborate with the
31Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD)
32and its associated workforce collaborative, and regularly consult
33with interested stakeholders, including peer support and family
34organizations, mental health providers and organizations, the
35County Behavioral Health Directors Association, the California
36Mental Health Planning Council, and other interested parties, as
37deemed appropriate by the department, in developing,
38implementing, and administering the peer and family support
39specialist certification program.
The department may contract to obtain technical
2assistance for the development of the peer and family support
3specialist certification program, as provided in Section 4061.
(a) The department shall amend its Medicaid state
5plan to include a peer and family support specialist pursuant to
6this article as a provider type for purposes of this chapter.
7(b) The department may seek any federal waivers or other state
8plan amendments as necessary to implement the certification
9program provided for under this article.
10(c) This article shall be implemented only if and to the extent
11that federal financial participation under Title XIX of the federal
12Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 1396 et seq.) is available and
13all necessary federal approvals have been obtained.
It is not the intent of the Legislature in enacting this
15article to modify the Medicaid state plan in any manner that would
16otherwise change or nullify the requirements, billing, or
17reimbursement of the “other qualified provider” provider type, as
18currently authorized by the Medicaid state plan.
The department may utilize Mental Health Services
20Act funds, as authorized in subdivision (d) of Section 5892, and
21any designated Workforce Education and Training Program
22resources, including funding, as administered by OSHPD pursuant
23to Section 5820, to develop and administer the peer and family
24support specialist certification program.
The Legislature finds and declares that this act clarifies
26procedures and terms of the Mental Health Services Act within
27the meaning of Section 18 of the Mental Health Services Act.
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