H259 - 2023 Appropriations Act. (SL 2023-134)

Overview: Section 9E.21 of S.L. 2023-134 provides that youth receiving foster care services through the county are entitled to trauma-informed interventions that are also evidence-based, evidence-informed or both. Under this section, the Division of Health Benefits (DHB), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) must convene a workgroup to identify innovative Medicaid services to fill in gaps in the care received by these youth. The service options must be one of the following:

• Models of community evidenced-based, and evidence-informed practices supporting a foster child's timely return to their family and diverting from higher levels of foster care placement.
• Models of intensive community or short-term residential treatment options serving children with higher acuity needs and which divert a child from a higher-level placement.

The workgroup must consist of county child welfare agencies, individuals with lived experiences in child welfare, Benchmarks, prepaid health plans, and LME/MCOs.

No more than three months after completing the workgroup work, DHB must begin distributing funds appropriated in this act to be used for the innovative Medicaid services identified by the workgroup. These funds can be used for either of the following:

• New services identified by the workgroup that can be implemented regionally or statewide.
• Expanding a service or modality to a county or region where it was not previously available.

Any entity receiving these funds must provide DHB with the following information:

• Timelines for, and establishment of, first- and second-year deliverables for any service that can be a phased-in service.
• Identification of required funding, including start-up funding and a three-year budget, including projected revenue sources and amounts.
• Specific outcome measures with attestation of timely submission of data to the prepaid health plan and DHB. The outcomes must be aligned with child welfare safety and permanency measures and support positive childhood outcomes.

DHHS may prioritize the funds distribution to the areas of greatest need identified by the workgroup.

DHHS must provide training to all county departments of social services and must offer training to tribal welfare offices on any Medicaid services funded under this section and must continue to provide status updates on implementation to any county or tribal offices within any impacted counties or regions.

This section became effective October 3, 2023.