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AB-1200 Aging and Disability Resource Connection program.(2017-2018)

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Date Published: 10/09/2017 09:00 PM
AB1200:v94#DOCUMENT

Assembly Bill No. 1200
CHAPTER 618

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.

[ Approved by Governor  October 09, 2017. Filed with Secretary of State  October 09, 2017. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 1200, Cervantes. Aging and Disability Resource Connection program.
Existing law, the Mello-Granlund Older Californians Act, establishes the California Department of 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, contingent upon the appropriation of funds for that purpose by the Legislature, 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 specify the services offered by, and responsibilities of, an ADRC program, including providing short-term service coordination and transition services, as specified.
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) 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.
(b) 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.
(c) In California, ADRC partnerships exist in several areas of the state that facilitate access to LTSS based on individuals’ needs, preferences, and goals.

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, in collaboration with the Department of Rehabilitation and the State Department of Health Care Services, for purposes of implementing this article.
(c) Area agencies on aging and independent living centers shall be the core local partners in developing programs.
(d) An ADRC program 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.
(e) An ADRC program shall do both of the following:
(1) Provide services within the geographic area served.
(2) Provide information to the public about the services provided by the program.
(f) This section shall only become operative contingent upon the appropriation of funds for that purpose by the Legislature.