Existing law, the Mello-Granlund Older Californians Act, establishes the Multipurpose Senior Services Program to provide specified services to frail elderly individuals 65 years of age and older who are certifiable for placement in a nursing facility. Existing law requires the California Department of Aging to formulate criteria for approval and designation of local Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) sites.

This bill would require the department, when it considers proposals submitted through the competitive bidding process for purposes of establishing a new, or procuring an existing, MSSP site, to seek to ensure that services are provided in the most integrated setting possible and to give consideration to the prospective provider’s experience in integrating medical and social services programs under a single entity. If a single provider is awarded 2 or more sites through the competitive bidding process, the bill would permit the department to authorize the provider to consolidate specified aspects of the sites, including program services, unless doing so would result in a reduction of services to existing program participants. The bill would also require the department, in making its determination of whether to grant a proposal submitted through the competitive bidding process or a request to consolidate sites, to consider specified criteria.