November 14, 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.

October 31, 2019

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.

September 19, 2019

August 29, 2019

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.

August 15, 2019

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.

July 18, 2019

As discussed in the CSAC Power Minute Video on In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), the revised County IHSS Maintenance of Effort (MOE) will create a more sustainable fiscal structure for counties to manage IHSS costs and continue to deliver vital services on behalf of the state. CSAC partnered with counties over the past two years to work towards achieving this outcome and is grateful to the Governor and the Legislature for the proposal and legislation that will accomplish this goal.

July 5, 2019

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 46 into law last week. The bill, authored by Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo, will replace out-of-date terms used to refer to individuals living with mental illness throughout California law.

June 13, 2019

On Monday, June 10, Governor Newsom announced the creation of a Cabinet-level Workgroup for Aging to be convened by the Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHS). As the aging population is forecasted to rise significantly, the workgroup, led by recently confirmed HHS Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly, will work to provide an actionable Master Plan on Aging with the goal of transforming California into an age-friendly state.

June 6, 2019

The California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHS), the Departments of Developmental Services, Health Care Services, Rehabilitation, Social Services, and the California Department of Education have prioritized improving the coordination of the “Systems of Care” for high-needs children and youth at all levels of engagement.

March 23, 2019

May 16, 2019

May 2, 2019

In recent weeks, both the Senate and Assembly Budget Subcommittees on Health and Human Services have held hearings on the Governor’s proposal to increase funding for local child support agencies. As one of the investments aimed at reducing child poverty, the Governor is proposing to increase funding by $19.1 million General Fund in 2019-20, matched by $36.9 million federal funds, and implement a new budgeting methodology. CSAC shared our strong support for this proposal at the recent budget hearings.

April 18, 2019

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Janice Hahn joined Governor Newsom in Downey to announce the County’s participation in the Governor’s California Pharmaceutical Collaborative, which allows the state to partner with local governments and other entities to bargain on bulk prescription drug purchases and potentially save on drug prices.

April 4, 2019

The Senate Budget Subcommittee Number 3 will hear a proposal from a coalition of county associations seeking $68 million in State funding to bolster the local public guardian, public conservator, and public administrator workforce to better serve the most vulnerable adults in our communities.

March 28, 2019

Counties are pleased to welcome Michelle Cabrera as the new Executive Director of the County Behavioral Health Directors Association (CBHDA). The CBHDA Executive Director Search Committee, which was comprised of behavioral health directors and included CSAC Executive Director Graham Knaus, announced the news this week after 10 months of searching.  

March 14, 2019

The California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems and the California Health Care Safety Net Institute released their brief on California’s value-based approach to health care coverage. This value-based approach focuses on the value of safety-net payments over the volume, leading to improved health outcomes.

March 7, 2019

The Governor’s office recently announced the appointment of Dr. Mark Ghaly as the new Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, and the reappointment of Michelle Baass as the undersecretary.

February 14, 2019

The Assembly Health Committee, Assembly Budget Subcommittee 1 on Health and Human Services, Senate Health Committee, and Budget Subcommittee 3 on Health and Human Services met in a joint informational hearing on February 12, 2019 to discuss the problem of health care affordability in California and potential solutions.

Peter Lee, Covered California’s Executive Director and Ryan Woolsey, Legislative Analyst’s Office Principal Fiscal and Policy Analyst presented options to improve affordability. Links to both reports can be found below.

February 7, 2019

Covered California Releases Options to Improve Health Insurance Market Affordability Report

February 7, 2019

Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase will provide free ATM access to low-income families receiving benefits via their electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards, joining several smaller banks and credit unions that already provide ATM access without surcharges.

This announcement comes after years of work by a coalition of California advocates and social services providers including counties and in partnership with the California Department of Social Services (CDSS).

January 17, 2019

As detailed in last week’s Bulletin, the United States Department of Agriculture indicated that it found a way to continue funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program/CalFresh through February during the federal government shutdown. This plan required states to request an issuance of benefits by January 20.

January 11, 2019

The County Medical Services Program (CMSP) Governing Board has released its Request for Proposals (RFP) for the CMSP Health Systems Development Grant (HSG) Program. 

The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), in collaboration with the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) and the California Institute for Behavioral Health Solutions, is conducting regional meetings to support provider and county collaboration and partnerships on the following topics:

As part of the LAO’s California’s Fiscal Outlook, discussed in detail here, the LAO released fiscal outlooks for In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) and Medi-Cal.

For IHSS, the LAO projects that State General Fund expenditures will grow by an average of 11 percent between 2018-19 and 2022-23. The three main drivers of this growth are: