The legislative vehicle to implement the Governor’s Community
Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Court proposal, SB
1338 by Senators Tom Umberg and Susan Talamantes Eggman, passed
two Senate policy committees this week. Next stop: the Senate
Appropriations Committee.
Counties raised concerns primarily regarding the lack of funding
for new county responsibilities as well as issues related to the
bill’s language on county sanctions, housing, and who would be
eligible for the CARE Court program.
CSAC has recently taken support positions on a number of bills
within the human services policy area. These bills would support
foster children and youth, increase information sharing between
county agencies, and further the ability of counties to provide
services to older adults.
The California Department of Aging (CDA) has announced that they
will host a results briefing on the Hubs and Spokes Network for
Aging and Disability proposal. The briefing will take place on
Wednesday, April 20 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. and
individuals can
register here. At the briefing, CDA will discuss the findings
from the stakeholder input process and next steps.
The California Department of Aging (CDA) has announced that they
will host a results briefing on the Hubs and Spokes Network for
Aging and Disability proposal. The briefing will take place on
Wednesday, April 20 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. and individuals can
register here. At the briefing, CDA will discuss the findings
from the stakeholder input process and next steps.
The document launches the Department’s forward-looking strategy
to simplify and strengthen Medi-Cal for children and families. It
includes the following action areas:
Seven counties have opted into the nation’s first Contingency
Management program, a rewards-based program to assist recovery
from stimulant use disorders.
Contingency Management is an evidence-based program that combines
motivational incentives such as gift cards and cash with
behavioral health treatments for clients who attend frequent
check-ins and abstain from stimulant use. It is currently the
only intervention that is effective for methamphetamine use
disorder, as there are no medications available.
President Biden extended federal COVID-19 emergency FEMA
reimbursements through July 1 of this year. This
allows states to continue receiving 100 percent cost
reimbursement for COVID-19 emergency response activities. Read
the President’s memorandum on the extension
here.
The State has announced the third round of funding for
launch-ready behavioral health infrastructure and adult or senior
care facilities. Learn more about the
Request for Application (RFA) process during a webinar
on February 10, 2022 at 10:30
a.m. Register by
clicking here.
The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is looking for
nonprofits and county-operated providers who offer behavioral
health services to develop and implement a mentored internship
program (MIP) to assist in the treatment and recovery of patients
with behavioral health disorders. DHCS will provide funding for
the nonprofits and county-operated provides for the MIP
development and implementation.
This week, the Newsom Administration released their draft of a
statewide
Extreme Heat Action Plan, aimed at better protecting
communities during high heat events.
The California Department of Aging (CDA) has announced that they
will host a results briefing on the Hubs and Spokes Network for
Aging and Disability proposal in March 2022, instead of the
previously announced December 2021 timeframe.
At the briefing, CDA will discuss the findings from the
stakeholder input process and next steps. This initiative follows
up on direction in the Master Plan for Aging to revisit
California’s Area Agency on Aging (AAA) local leadership
structures to meet the growing and changing needs and advance
equity.
California’s ambitious federal waiver package, titled “California
Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal” (CalAIM) was approved by the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on December 29.
All counties are encouraged to register now for an important
CalAIM webinar on Friday, December 17, 2021 at 4:00
p.m. to learn about the intersection between
Providing Access and Transforming Health (PATH) and the CalAIM
Incentive Payment Program (IPP) funding opportunities.
The Assembly Health and Judiciary Committees held a joint
informational hearing on December 15 to explore issues related to
Lanterman-Petris-Short (LPS) Act conservatorships for individuals
who are found to be gravely disabled by a judge.
The nine-hour hearing included comments from CSAC; the County
Behavioral Health Directors Association; the California
Association of Public Administrators, Public Guardians, and
Public Conservators; persons with lived experience related to LPS
conservatorships; lawyers; hospitals; and labor representatives.
The 2021 CSAC Annual Meeting was held in Monterey County
from November 29 through December 3. More than 600 registrants
attended the conference, engaging with County Supervisors,
policy stakeholders, and CSAC staff. All of CSAC’s policy
committees met in person to hear from key policy makers and
influencers and update priorities for the
2022 legislative session. Please find a brief recap of
each policy committee meeting below.
Governor Newsom met the October 10 deadline to take action on
measures approved by the Legislature and delivered to his desk.
To keep counties informed of new laws that impact them, CSAC will
be publishing a series of articles to spotlight those laws in
each policy area. This week, the Health and Human Services policy
area provides information on new laws affecting local health,
behavioral health and social services programs and services.
The new laws listed below become effective January 1, 2022 unless
otherwise noted.
On November 4, CSAC hosted an In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS)
Training Webinar for county and public authority staff in
partnership with the County Welfare Directors Association (CWDA)
and the California Association of Public Authorities (CAPA). The
training provided a refresher course on the revised IHSS
Maintenance of Effort (MOE) that was enacted in 2019 and covered
new wages, benefits, and collective bargaining provisions that
were enacted by AB 135 (Chapter 85, Statutes of 2021) this year.
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is
developing the Clean
California Local Grant Program as part of a two-year program
through which approximately $296 million in funds will go to
local communities to beautify and improve local streets and
roads, tribal lands, parks, pathways, and transit centers to
clean and enhance public spaces.
