5778.5.
(a) For mental health services reimbursed through a fee-for-service payment system, the State Department of Mental Health shall send a reimbursement claim to the Controller within 90 days after the receipt of a reimbursement claim from any county contractor pursuant to Section 5778. This 90-day timeframe shall not be applicable to claims in the State Department of Mental Health’s dispute resolution process or to claims that have been returned to the entity submitting the claim for additional information or necessary changes. (b) Subject to subdivision (c), beginning on the 91st day after receipt of the reimbursement request from the county contractor, interest shall accrue at the daily Pooled Money Investment Account rate. The interest shall be paid in equal amounts from the State Department of Mental Health, the State Department of Health Care Services, and the California Health and Human Services’ budgets.
(c) If sufficient funds are unavailable, the State Department of Mental Health shall request the Director of Finance to include any amounts necessary to satisfy the claim in a request for a deficiency appropriation. Interest charges shall not accrue against the department’s budget for periods when the funding to the department is insufficient to pay the claim.
(d) This section shall become operative on March 1, 2010.