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Health and Human Services
For more information, contact Kelly Brooks at 916/327-7500, ext. 531 or kbrooks@counties.org, Faith Conley (for Health policy) at 916/327-7500, ext. 522 or fconley@counties.org, or Geoffrey Neill (for Human Services policy) at 916/327-7500, ext. 567 or gneill@counties.org
In-Home Supportive Services Wage Reduction Blocked by Federal Court
A U.S. District Court Judge issued an injunction yesterday on the wage reduction to In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) providers included in the February budget package. The judge ordered the state to continuing paying wages and benefits up to $12.10, rather than the $9.50 in wages and $0.60 in benefits scheduled to go into effect July 1.
The Service Employees International Union filed the suit in federal court. The federal judge based the injunction on a determination that California failed to adequately study the impact of the wage cut on IHSS services, a requirement of the federal Medicaid Act.
The wage reduction generates approximately $98 million in savings in the 2009-10 budget. The Schwarzenegger Administration plan to seek a stay that would allow the state to impose the wage reduction on July 1 as planned.
Health
AB 217 (Beall) – Support
As Amended on July 1, 2009
AB 217, by Assembly Member Jim Beall, would allow the state to draw down federal funding for providing confidential alcohol and drug screening and brief intervention services to specified Medi-Cal beneficiaries.
Counties are seeking ways to make scarce intervention and treatment dollars stretch even farther. AB 217 provides counties with a much-needed federal revenue stream – at no cost to the state – for these valuable services.
AB 217 will be heard in the Senate Health Committee on July 1.
AB 646 (Swanson) – Support
As Amended on May 5, 2009
AB 646, by Assembly Member Sandré Swanson, would permit health care districts to directly employ physicians and surgeons in rural and underserved communities.
Counties across the state have issues recruiting physicians for our hospitals and clinics. The scarcity of qualified medical personnel in California continues to hamper our ability to provide quality health care to our residents and employees. SB 646 would enable 46 health care district hospitals and approximately 130 other public, independent community nonprofit hospitals and clinics to hire physicians directly.
The significant shortage of qualified medical personnel affects all counties large and small. For large urban counties and counties that operate hospitals, the shortage of medical personnel threatens their ability to meet state staff ratio standards and attract physicians. The impacts of the medical workforce shortage are also dire in rural counties, where access to medical specialists is severely limited. All counties report difficulty attracting and retaining primary care physicians.
According to a 2007 California Medical Association report, the average age of physicians in the rural and underserved urban communities is approaching 60, with many of those planning to retire in the next two years.
AB 646 will assist in attracting and retaining physicians in communities across California.
AB 646 will be heard on June 29 in the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee.
AB 710 (Yamada) – Support
As Amended on April 22, 2009
AB 710, by Assembly Member Mariko Yamada, would create the Veterans’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Fund (Fund) for the purpose of receiving federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant money. This bill will additionally require the California Department of Veterans’ Affairs (CDVA) to submit an application to SAMHSA for this funding and then deposit it into the newly created Fund. Monies from the Fund would then be continuously appropriated by the Legislature to CDVA to fund community-based organizations providing substance abuse and mental health services to veterans. In counties where there are no community-based organizations serving veterans, AB 710 would allow a county to apply for a grant to be used to secure funding for providing such services.
AB 710 will be heard in the Senate Health Committee on July 1.
AB 861 (Ruskin) – Support
As Amended on May 5, 2009
AB 861, by Assembly Member Ira Ruskin, would require the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to implement a consolidated and streamlined administration and contracting process with counties for programs within the Department’s Center for Infectious Disease and Center for Family Health.
AB 861 will be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee on June 29.
AB 1445 (Chesbro) – Support
As Amended on June 1, 2009
AB 1445, by Assembly Member Wes Chesbro, would allow federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) to be reimbursed by Medi-Cal for multiple visits by a patient with a single or different health care professional on the same day at a single location.
AB 1445 will be heard in the Senate Health Committee on July 1.
SB 152 (Cox) – Support
As Amended on April 14, 2009
SB 152, by Senator Dave Cox, would require the timely reimbursement of mental health services claims to local governments.
Specifically, SB 152 would require the State Controller's Office to reimburse local government contractors for mental health managed care services within 90 days after the receipt of a reimbursement claim by the Department of Mental Health (DMH). The measure also requires interest to be paid on late payments, but would not go into effect until the beginning of the next fiscal year on July 1, 2010. SB 152 also exempts claims that are disputed or in need of additional information from the 90-day timeline.
SB 152 will be heard in the Assembly Health Committee on June 30.
Human Services
AB 167 (Adams) – Support
As Amended on June 3, 2009
AB 167, by Assembly Member Anthony Adams, would make it easier for foster youth to obtain high school diplomas in the event of a transfer from one school district to another. It would allow foster youth in grades 11 and 12 who have transferred to a new school district to earn a diploma based on state graduation requirements.
The Senate Appropriations Committee will consider AB 167 at their meeting on June 29.
AB 295 (Ammiano) – Support
As Amended on June 1, 2009
AB 295, by Assembly Member Tom Ammiano, would eliminate the pilot status of the existing wraparound services program that is already operating in 40 counties. It also allows counties participating in a second pilot program aimed at increasing adoptions of older foster children to spend the project funding over a longer period.
The wraparound that seeks to maintain seriously emotionally disturbed children safely in their own homes instead of treatment facilities has repeatedly been shown to be successful and cost-effective.
The Senate Human Services Committee passed AB 295 4-0 at its meeting on June 23.
AB 510 (Evans) – Support
As Amended on April 2, 2009
AB 510, by Assembly Member Noreen Evans, would prevent CalWORKs recipients who are unable to access welfare-to-work services due to the effects of recent budget cuts from being unfairly penalized.
The Senate Human Services Committee passed AB 510 3-2 at its meeting on June 23.
AB 719 (B. Lowenthal) – Support
As Introduced on February 26, 2009
AB 719, by Assembly Member Bonnie Lowenthal, would extend food stamps for one year to foster youth after they “age out” of the current system.
The Senate Human Services Committee passed AB 719 4-1 at its meeting on June 23.
AB 938 (Committee on Judiciary) – Support
As Amended on June 18, 2009
AB 938, introduced by the Assembly Judiciary Committee, would require county social workers to begin searching for adult relatives within 30 days when they remove children from their homes.
Searching for and contacting adult relatives of these abused and neglected children is already part of social workers' plan of action upon removing them from their homes, but new federal law accelerates the time in which they are performed. AB 938 would implement that new federal statute. Counties also support the state continuing the practice of funding the increased level of service this bill implements.
The Senate Human Services Committee passed AB 938 5-0 at its meeting on June 23.
AB 1058 (Beall) – Support
As Amended on June 1, 2009
AB 1058, by Assembly Member Jim Beall, would make two key changes to CalWORKs program eligibility rules, allowing applicants and recipients to own reliable cars and build a small amount of savings. These changes will promote work participation and self-sufficiency, respectively. The current allowed vehicular value has not changed since the program’s inception and dates to a 1977 Food Stamp rule. These changes will make it more likely that a CalWORKs recipient is able to find work and that once they are self-sufficient and out of the program one minor catastrophe (health, for instance) doesn’t put them right back into the program.
The Senate Human Services Committee passed AB 1058 3-2 at its meeting on June 23.
AB 1324 (Bass) – Support
As Amended on May 14, 2009
AB 1324, by Speaker Karen Bass, would provide assistance to foster youth who may have been victims of identity theft.
Foster youth who are victims of identity theft find increased difficulty in obtaining housing and accessing other financial services once they are emancipated. AB 1324 requires them to be referred to a government or nonprofit organization that provides information and assistance to victims of identity theft. Current law says the youth be referred to “an approved counseling organization.”
The Senate Human Services Committee passed AB 1324 5-0 at its meeting on June 23.
AB 1325 (Cook) – Support
As Amended on May 6, 2009
AB 1325, by Assembly Member Paul Cook, would add a new, culturally appropriate permanency option for Native American children in foster care, known as tribal customary adoption. While similar to traditional adoption in that biological parents no longer have day-to-day custody, a tribal customary adoption does not completely terminate parental rights. Tribal customary adoption is recognized by the federal government and has been used in other states with success. This option would be considered along with traditional adoption and guardianship. AB 1325 sets forth considerations for the tribe in developing the tribal customary adoption order as well as provisions for the resolution of disagreements that may arise. The bill sets a four-year sunset of its provisions.
The Senate Human Services Committee passed AB 1325 5-0 at its meeting on June 23.
PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION
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