The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has posted an
informational chart to provide counties with managed care model
type definitions and requirements. The purpose of the chart is to
aid Counties and Plans in understanding the different managed
care model types and the requirements for each type.
This week the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
ruled
on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA)
provision, known as the individual mandate, which requires
individuals to have the basic level of health coverage. In a 2-1
decision the federal judges ruled the individual mandate
requirement was unconstitutional.
The California Department of Health Care Services has released
dates for summits throughout the state with the purpose of
providing education and resources pertaining to Medication
Assisted Treatment (MAT), stigma reduction, and workforce
engagement to address substance use disorder (SUD). The summits
will take place January through February 2020.
Significant progress continues to be made toward the development
of the state’s Master Plan
for Aging. In order to begin gathering written feedback from
the numerous stakeholders involved in this process, the
Department of Aging established a deadline of December 13 for
initial comments and recommendations.
CSAC hosted an In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Training
Wednesday for counties in partnership with the County Welfare
Directors Association (CWDA) and the California Association of
Public Authorities (CAPA). More than 200 county staff and public
authority staff from nearly every county gathered in Sacramento
for a full day of training about the new IHSS Maintenance of
Effort (MOE) that was enacted by Senate Bill 80 (Chapter 27,
Statutes of 2019).
Governor Newsom signed 870 bills into law this year. 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 foster care, health,
homelessness, and more. Stay tuned for more updates from other
policy areas over the next several weeks.
The new laws listed below become effective January 1, 2020 unless
otherwise noted.
As utility-initiated Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) continue
to impact residents across California, the California Health and
Human Services Agency (CHHS) has established a resource website,
a nonemergency hotline, and PSPS resource guide for counties and
communities during power shutoffs.
The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) released the
Bringing Families Home (BFH) Program application criteria on
September 5, 2019. BFH was established through Assembly Bill 1603
(Chapter 25, Statutes 2016), designed to provide housing related
assistance to child-welfare involved families, but funding was
set to expire June 30, 2019.
As the Legislative bill deadline has passed, CSAC Health and
Human Services staff took support positions on the following
enrolled bills. These bills are currently being reviewed by the
Governor for signature or veto. There are no HHS bills that CSAC
is asking the Governor to veto.
As we near the end of the 2019 legislative year, CSAC continues
to engage with several bill authors and sponsors to advocate for
the best outcomes for counties. CSAC was successful in
negotiating amendments on the two below bills that will allow us
to remove our opposition.
The California Alliance of Child and Family Services is hosting a
series of community forums to spark dialogue among
community-based organizations, policymakers and government
administrators around school-based mental health, highlighting
meaningful and impactful strategies that are grounded in
evidence. The forum, will examine successful partnerships for the
delivery of school based mental health services. The forums will
be held in Sacramento and Los Angeles.
This week, the Assembly’s Accountability and Administrative
Review and Health Committees, chaired by Assembly Member Cottie
Petrie-Norris and Assembly Member Jim Wood, convened a joint
informational hearing on the oversight and accountability of
Mental Health Services Act Funds (MHSA).
The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has posted the
application and funding allocations for one-time Housing
Funds for Whole Person Care (WPC) Pilots. The application
was released to current Whole Person Care Lead Entities on
Monday, July 22, 2019 and updated on posted on Friday, August 9,
2019 to their site. The application contains instructions for
counties, the funding allocations, the methodology used, and a
helpful list of deadlines.
This week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
officially released the controversial
public charge final rule. The rule expands the definition of
public charge to require consideration of current or potential
receipt of non-cash benefits, including Medicaid/Medi-Cal,
SNAP/CalFresh, and federally subsidized housing when determining
whether to extend or revise a legal immigrant’s status.
