Bill Text: CA AB1200 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Amended

California Assembly Bill 1200 (Prior Session Legislation)

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: Aging and Disability Resource Connection program.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2017-10-09 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 618, Statutes of 2017. [AB1200 Detail]

Download: California-2017-AB1200-Amended.html

Amended IN Senate June 29, 2017

Amended IN Assembly May 08, 2017

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 1200

Introduced by Assembly Member Cervantes

February 17, 2017

An act to add Article 4 (commencing with Section 9120) to Chapter 2 of Division 8.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to aging.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1200, as amended, Cervantes. Aging and Disabilities Resource Connection program.

Existing law, the Mello-Granlund Older Californians Act, establishes the California Department of ~~Aging,~~ Aging and states that the mission of the department is to provide leadership to the area agencies on aging in developing systems of home- and community-based services that maintain individuals in their own homes or least restrictive homelike environments.

Existing law vests in the Department of Rehabilitation the responsibility and authority for the encouragement of the planning, development, and funding of independent living centers, which are private, nonprofit organizations that provide specified services to individuals with disabilities, in order to assist those individuals in their attempts to live fuller and freer lives outside institutions.

Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, 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 provides that Medi-Cal long-term services and supports, including In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), Community-Based Adult Services (CBAS), Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) services, and certain skilled nursing facility and subacute care services, shall be covered services by a specified date under managed care health plan contracts for beneficiaries residing in counties participating in the Coordinated Care Initiative.

This bill would establish the Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) program, to be administered by the California Department of Aging, to provide information to consumers and their families on available long-term services and supports (LTSS) programs and to assist older adults, caregivers, and persons with disabilities in accessing LTSS programs at the local level. The bill would require the department to establish the Aging and Disability Resource Connection Advisory Committee as the primary adviser in the ongoing development and implementation of the ADRC program. The bill would ~~require the department,~~ authorize the department to designate and approve ADRC programs, and, in consultation with the advisory committee, to formulate criteria for the designation and approval of local ADRC ~~program sites, and~~ programs. The bill would specify the services offered by, and responsibilities of, a ~~program site.~~ program, including requiring a program to submit data on an annual basis to the department, and would authorize the department to develop a data collection tool for that purpose. The bill would require the department and the State Department of Health Care Services to enter into a memorandum of understanding to explore reimbursement for qualified administrative activities performed pursuant to these provisions.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) California’s long-term services and supports (LTSS) system is plagued by fragmentation of programs at the state, regional, and local levels. In many communities, multiple agencies administer LTSS and have complex, fragmented, and often duplicative intake, assessment, and eligibility functions. This fragmentation results in a lack of access to coordinated services. As a result, consumers and their families struggle to identify and access necessary home- and community-based services, resulting in the increased likelihood of hospitalization and institutional placements.

(b) In 2003, the federal Administration for Community Living and the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services established a joint funding opportunity through the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) initiative, which was designed to provide visible and trusted sources of information, one-on-one counseling, and streamlined access to LTSS.

(c) ADRCs build on the strength of existing community agencies, including area agencies on aging and independent living centers, to provide a more coordinated system of information and access for all persons seeking LTSS to minimize confusion, enhance individual choice, and support informed decisionmaking.

(d) In California, ADRC partnerships exist in ~~eight~~ seven areas of the state that facilitate access to LTSS based on individuals’ needs, preferences, and goals.

(e) California’s ADRC Advisory Committee engages stakeholders in identifying and implementing strategies to strengthen, sustain, and expand ADRC services throughout the state.

SEC. 2.

Article 4 (commencing with Section 9120) is added to Chapter 2 of Division 8.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:

Article 4. Aging and Disability Resource Connection Program

9120.

(a) There is hereby established an Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) program to provide information to consumers and their families on available long-term services and supports (LTSS) programs and to assist older adults, caregivers, and persons with disabilities in accessing LTSS programs at the local level.

(b) This article shall be administered by the California Department of Aging. The department shall enter into interagency agreements with the Department of Rehabilitation and the State Department of Health Care Services for purposes of implementing this article.

9121.

(a) The department shall establish the Aging and Disability Resource Connection Advisory Committee as the primary adviser to the department, the Department of Rehabilitation, and the State Department of Health Care Services in the ongoing development and implementation of the ADRC program.

(b) The advisory committee shall do all of the following:

(1) Consider high-level aspects of the ADRC program operations and related systemwide ~~issues.~~ issues, including, but not limited to, steps to establish ADRC programs throughout the state.

(2) Provide input and recommendations to the departments in developing ADRC program policies and procedures.

(3) Serve as the forum for ADRC stakeholders to discuss evolving federal guidance, funding opportunities, and best practices.

9122.

(a) The ~~department,~~ department may designate and approve ADRC programs.

(b) The department, in consultation with the advisory committee, ~~shall~~ may formulate criteria for the designation and approval of local ADRC ~~program sites.~~ programs.

(c) The department, in consultation with the advisory committee, may develop a data collection tool that captures program activity and performance indicators for the purpose of reporting to the department, pursuant to subdivision (f).
~~(b)~~

(d) Area agencies on aging and independent living centers shall be the core local partners in developing ADRC ~~program sites,~~ programs, but the department may work with other local partners in developing ADRC ~~program sites.~~ programs.

~~(c)~~

(e) An ADRC program ~~site~~ shall provide all of the following:

(1) Enhanced information and referral services and other assistance at hours that are convenient for the public.

(2) Options counseling concerning available LTSS programs and public and private benefits programs.

(3) Short-term service coordination.

(4) Transition services from hospitals to home and from skilled nursing facilities to the community.

~~(d)~~

(f) An ADRC program ~~site~~ shall do all of the following:

(1) Provide services within the geographic area served.

(2) Provide information to the public about the services provided by the ~~site.~~ program.

(3) Submit to the ~~department all reports and data required or requested by the department.~~ department, on an annual basis, data that the department requires the program to report, including data reported using the data collection tool described in subdivision (c).

~~(e)~~

(g) The department ~~shall consult with the advisory committee when exploring steps to establish ADRC program sites statewide.~~ may, in consultation with the advisory committee, explore steps to establish ADRC programs throughout the state.

9123.

The department and the State Department of Health Care Services shall enter into a memorandum of understanding to explore reimbursement for qualified administrative activities performed pursuant to this article, consistent with Section 14132.47.