BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1223
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 26, 2011
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS
Paul J. Cook, Chair
AB 1223 (Committee on Veterans Affairs) - As Introduced:
February 18, 2011
SUBJECT : Medi-Cal: Public Assistance Reporting Information
System.
SUMMARY : The Department of Health Care Services ("DHS")
administers a 2-year, three-county pilot program (the "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. Specifically, this bill : will make the pilot
program permanent and statewide.
EXISTING LAW: Requires the DHS to:
(a) Establish the Program to utilize the federal Public
Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS) to identify
veterans and their dependents or survivors who are enrolled in
Medi-Cal and assist them in obtaining federal veteran health
care benefits.
(b) Select three consenting counties that have in operation a
United States Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA) medical
center to participate in the Program.
(c) Exchange information with PARIS and identify veterans and
their dependents or survivors who are receiving Medi-Cal
benefits in the Program counties.
(d) 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.
(e) Prior to commencement of the Program, do all of the
following:
(1) Enter into an agreement with the California Department of
Veterans Affairs (CDVA) to perform CVSO outreach services in
AB 1223
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connection with the pilot program. The CDVA agreement shall
contain performance standards that would allow the department to
measure the effectiveness of the pilot program.
(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.
(f) Monitor the two-year pilot program, evaluate the outcomes
and savings, and provide the fiscal committees of the
Legislature with a report on the findings and recommendations.
If the department determines that the pilot program is cost
effective, it may implement the program statewide at any time
and continue operation of PARIS indefinitely.
(g) Implement the pilot program by July 1, 2009.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : The Project should help leverage the PARIS system to
assist in identifying those veterans who in effect have double
coverage. Identifying and, as appropriate, assisting those
veterans to transition from Medi-Cal to the federal system for
coverage could result in cost savings to the state. A report is
due on the progress of the Project later this year.
An analysis conducted by the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO)
in 2007 stated that implementing PARIS could save the state
millions of dollars annually in General Fund costs by shifting
eligible veterans enrolled in Medi-Cal to the USDVA health care
system. According to the LAO report, 144,000 veterans and
dependents on Medi-Cal coverage could be eligible for
comprehensive medical care and health services through the USDVA
health care system. It is estimated that connecting only ten
percent of these veterans will save the state $25 million
annually.
Previous Legislation:
AB 1183 (Budget Committee, Stats. 2008) authorized a two-year
pilot program for the use of PARIS by Department of Health Care
Services (DHCS). The legislation instructed DHCS to establish
the pilot program by July 1, 2009, and to report to the
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Legislature the effectiveness of the program. AB 1183 granted
DHCS the option to make PARIS a permanent program if the program
was deemed effective. As of this date, PARIS has not been
permanently implemented. Further, the measure required that only
three counties needed to participate in the pilot program, with
a stipulation that each participating county have a USDVA
medical center.
AB 3082 (Veterans Affairs Committee, 2008) would have required
any state or public assistance agency using PARIS to identify
veterans enrolled in the Medi-Cal program for the purpose of
assisting them in obtaining federal health care benefits.
Additionally, the measure required CDVA to develop a plan for
handling data-match information given to County Veterans Service
Officers (CVSO). The measure died on the Senate Appropriations
Suspense File.
AB 1568 (Committee on Veterans Affairs, 2009) would have made
PARIS pilot project a permanent, statewide program. The measure
was gutted and amended into a different subject matter.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
None on file.
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : John Spangler / V. A. / (916) 319-3550