AB 211

Bill Subjects

Abstract

Existing law establishes the county-administered In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, under which qualified aged, blind, and disabled persons are provided with services in order to permit them to remain in their own homes and avoid institutionalization. Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law establishes, as part of the Coordinated Care Initiative, the In-Home Supportive Services Employer-Employee Relations Act, which serves to resolve disputes regarding wages, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment between the California In-Home Supportive Services Authority (Statewide Authority) and recognized employee organizations providing in-home supportive services. Existing law establishes the Statewide Authority and requires the authority to be the entity authorized to meet and confer in good faith regarding wages, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment with representatives of recognized employee organizations for any individual provider who is employed by a recipient of supportive services. Existing law provides, as part of the Coordinated Care Initiative, that IHSS is a Medi-Cal benefit available through managed care health plans in specified counties. Existing law requires enrollment of eligible Medi-Cal beneficiaries into managed care pursuant to a specified demonstration project or other provisions, including managed care for long-term services and supports, as one of the conditions required to be completed before the Statewide Authority assumes specified responsibilities. Existing law requires the Statewide Authority, no sooner than March 1, 2013, to assume specified responsibilities in a county upon notification by the Director of Health Care Services that the enrollment of eligible Medi-Cal beneficiaries described in specified provisions of law has been completed in that county. Under existing law, the date of assumption of these responsibilities by the Statewide Authority is known as the county implementation date. This bill would, instead, make the implementation date January 1, 2016, would delete the reference to the "county" implementation date, and would make conforming changes. Existing law conditions implementation of the Coordinated Care Initiative, as defined, on whether the Director of Finance estimates that the Coordinated Care Initiative will generate net General Fund savings, as specified. Existing law, with certain exceptions, specifies those provisions of law that are within the scope of the initiative to become inoperative if this condition is not met. This bill would modify the definition of the Coordinate Care Initiative for the purposes of determining which provisions become inoperative if the condition is not met, and exclude, among others, those provisions that establish the In-Home Supportive Services Employer-Employee Relations Act; establish the Statewide Authority and determine the duties of, and when those duties are assumed by, the authority; establish the IHSS Fund, which is used to fund the Statewide Authority; and require all counties, commencing July 1, 2012, to have a County IHSS Maintenance of Effort (MOE) and to pay the County IHSS MOE instead of paying the nonfederal share of IHSS costs, as specified. The bill would make conforming changes.