BILL NUMBER: AB 1223	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN SENATE  AUGUST 24, 2011

INTRODUCED BY   Committee on Veterans Affairs (Cook (Chair), Pan
(Vice Chair), Atkins, Block, Gorell, Nielsen, V. Manuel Pérez,
Williams, and Yamada)
    (   Coauthor:   Assembly Member  
Beth Gaines   ) 

                        FEBRUARY 18, 2011

   An act to repeal and add Section 14124.11 of the Welfare and
Institutions Code, relating to Medi-Cal.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1223, as amended, Committee on Veterans Affairs. Medi-Cal:
Public Assistance Reporting Information System.
   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 requires the department to
establish a 2-year pilot program to utilize the federal Public
Assistance and Reporting Information System (PARIS) to identify
veterans and their dependents or survivors who are enrolled in the
Medi-Cal program and assist them in obtaining federal veterans'
health care benefits. Existing law requires the department to select
3 counties, as specified, to participate in the pilot project and
authorizes the department to implement the program statewide at any
time and continue the operation of PARIS indefinitely if the
department determines that the pilot program is cost effective.
   This bill would remove the pilot project nature of these
provisions and would require the department to implement this program
statewide.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


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

  SECTION 1.  Section 14124.11 of the Welfare and Institutions Code
is repealed.
  SEC. 2.  Section 14124.11 is added to the Welfare and Institutions
Code, to read:
   14124.11.  (a) The department shall utilize the federal Public
Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS) to identify veterans
and their dependents or survivors who are enrolled in the Medi-Cal
program and assist them in obtaining federal veteran health care
benefits.
   (b) The department shall exchange information with PARIS and
identify veterans and their dependents or survivors who are receiving
Medi-Cal benefits.
   (c) The department shall refer identified Medi-Cal beneficiaries
who are receiving high-cost services, including long-term care, to
county veteran service officers (CVSOs) to obtain information
regarding, and assistance in obtaining, USDVA benefits.
   (d) In implementing this section, the department shall do all of
the following:
   (1) Enter into an agreement with the California Department of
Veterans Affairs (CDVA) to perform CVSO outreach services. The CDVA
agreement shall contain performance standards that will allow the
department to measure the effectiveness of the program established by
this section.
   (2) Enter into any agreements that are required by the federal
government to utilize the PARIS system.
   (3) Perform any information technology activities that are
necessary to utilize the PARIS system.
   (e) Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of
Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, the
department may implement, interpret, or make specific, this section
by means of written directives without taking further regulatory
action.
   (f) In order to achieve maximum cost savings  ,  the
Legislature hereby determines that an expedited contract process for
contracts under this section is necessary. Therefore, contracts under
this section shall be exempt from the Public Contract Code and from
Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 11250) of Part 1 of Division 3 of
Title 2 of the Government Code.