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

October 24, 2019

September 19, 2019

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.

September 19, 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.

Requesting Signature

AB 728 (Santiago)

August 22, 2019

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.

August 22, 2019

August 15, 2019

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.

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

The California Department of Social Services, Continuum of Care Reform Branch is hosting a webinar about a grant program to reduce law enforcement involvement with residential facilities. The webinar takes place on February 12 at 10 a.m. and will provide an overview of the funding and updated submission timelines. Agencies interested in applying are encouraged to register for the webinar and CDSS has indicated that the original February 1 submission date has been postponed.

February 7, 2019

The County Medical Services Program (CMSP) has recently announced two new grant opportunities – CMSP Loan Repayment Program (LRP) and CMSP Health Systems Development Grant (HSG).

CMSP LRP

In partnership with the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD), CMSP will assist with the repayment of educational debt for the following professionals who provide primary healthcare or dental services at an approved contracted site located within the 35 CMSP counties:

January 17, 2019

The California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) has announced Medi-Cal Explained: An Overview of Program Basics Briefing. This briefing will be the first in a series sponsored by CHCF intended to provide an overview of Medi-Cal, including the people it serves and the services it provides, as well as the organization, oversight, and financing of the program.

The Program Basics Briefing will be held at the Sacramento Masonic Temple on February 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with lunch provided.