Existing law requires the Office of Emergency Services to establish a protocol for the examination and treatment of victims of sexual abuse and attempted sexual abuse, including child sexual abuse, and the collection and preservation of evidence therefrom. Existing law requires each qualified health care provider, as defined, who conducts an examination of sexual assault or an attempted sexual assault to use a standard form, developed by the office, and specified procedures. Existing law prohibits the costs incurred by a qualified health care professional, hospital, clinic, sexual assault forensic examination team, or other emergency medical facility for the medical evidentiary examination from being charged to a victim of the assault.
This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would allocate funding to increase
the reimbursement rate to qualified health care professionals who conduct sexual assault forensic examinations.
This bill would continuously appropriate $6.7 million annually to the Office of Emergency Services to provide reimbursement to local law enforcement agencies, qualified health care professionals, hospitals, clinics, sexual assault forensic examination teams, and other emergency medical facilities that provide medical evidentiary examinations of victims of sexual assault, as specified.