BILL NUMBER: AB 582	CHAPTERED  10/10/99

	CHAPTER   859
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE   OCTOBER 10, 1999
	APPROVED BY GOVERNOR   OCTOBER 8, 1999
	PASSED THE SENATE   SEPTEMBER 9, 1999
	PASSED THE ASSEMBLY   SEPTEMBER 9, 1999
	AMENDED IN SENATE   SEPTEMBER 7, 1999
	AMENDED IN SENATE   AUGUST 16, 1999
	AMENDED IN SENATE   JUNE 14, 1999
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY   MAY 17, 1999
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY   APRIL 13, 1999

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Members Firebaugh, Ducheny, Keeley, Kuehl,
Romero, and Washington
   (Coauthors:  Senators Baca, Escutia, and Solis)

                        FEBRUARY 19, 1999

   An act to amend Sections 9560, 9563, and 9564 of the Welfare and
Institutions Code, relating to seniors.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 582, Firebaugh.  Multipurpose Senior Services Program.
   Existing law, the Mello-Granlund Older Californians Act,
establishes the Multipurpose Senior Services Program to provide
specified services to frail elderly individuals 65 years of age and
older who are certifiable for placement in a nursing facility.
Existing law requires the California Department of Aging to formulate
criteria for approval and designation of local Multipurpose Senior
Services Program sites.
   This bill would revise the criteria required for approval and
designation of program sites, and would specify that it is the intent
of the Legislature, in enacting this program, to provide access to
social and health services by providing information and outreach
activities in the community.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:


  SECTION 1.  Section 9560 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is
amended to read:
   9560.  (a) The purpose of this chapter shall be to establish a
program to serve frail elderly individuals 65 years of age and older
who are certifiable for placement in a nursing facility.  This
program shall be known as the Multipurpose Senior Services Program,
and shall be structured and carried out in a manner consistent with
Section 1396n(c) of Title 42 of the United States Code.
   (b) This chapter clarifies the intent of the Legislature that the
Multipurpose Senior Services Program shall continue:
   (1) To prevent premature disengagement of older individuals from
their indigenous communities and subsequent commitment to
institutions.
   (2) To provide optimum accessibility of various important
community social and health resources available to assist active
older individuals to maintain independent living.
   (3) To provide that the frail older individual who has the
capacity to remain in an independent living situation has access to
the appropriate social and health services without which independent
living would not be possible.
   (4) To provide the most efficient and effective use of public
funds in the delivery of these social and health services.
   (5) To coordinate, integrate, and link these social and health
services, including county social services, by removing obstacles
that impede or limit improvements in delivery of these services.
   (6) To allow the state substantial flexibility in organizing or
administering the delivery of social and health services to its older
individuals.
   (7) To provide access to social and health services by providing
information and outreach activities in the community.
  SEC. 2.  Section 9563 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is
amended to read:
   9563.  The department shall formulate criteria for approval and
designation of local Multipurpose Senior Services Program sites.  The
criteria shall include, but need not be limited to, all of the
following:
   (a) Specifications for a social and health review team to evaluate
older individuals and to ensure that continuity of social, economic,
and health services is provided to maintain older individuals at the
appropriate level of care.
   (b) Development of social and health services necessary to
maintain the older individual at the appropriate level of care.
   (c) Specifications for the quality of the social and health
services to be provided.
   (d) Coordination and integration of the social and health services
described in Section 9561.
   (e) The number of local sites, which shall be consistent with the
funds made available for purposes of this chapter.
   (f) Coordination with local governmental and nonprofit agencies
concerned with multipurpose senior services.
   (g) Maximize utilization of local resources, including service
provided by established community-based senior citizen organizations
and information and referral networks.
   (h) Specifications for the evaluation of the proposals submitted
for the new local sites and for the evaluation of the local sites.
   (i) Conditions for determining the need for procurement of
existing sites.  Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, nothing
in this chapter shall be construed as mandating that an existing
site be reprocured periodically.
  SEC. 3.  Section 9564 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is
amended to read:
   9564.  Nothing in this chapter shall preclude expansion of
Multipurpose Senior Services Program services if cost effectiveness
is demonstrated.  The expansion shall be accomplished by establishing
new sites, increasing numbers of clients served in existing sites,
or expanding the number of sites to include additional geographic
regions of the state.