SB 1466, as amended, Mitchell. Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment Program: trauma screening.
Existing law provides for 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, including early and periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment for any individual under 21 years of age who is covered under Medi-Cal consistent with the requirements under federal law. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions.
Existing federal law provides that EPSDT services include periodic screening services, vision services, dental services, hearing services, and other necessary services to correct or ameliorate defects and physical and mental illnesses and conditions discovered by the screening services, whether or not the services are covered under the state plan. In addition to the required periodic screening services, existing federal law provides that Medicaid-eligible children are entitled to interperiodic screenings in order to identify a suspected illness or condition not present or discovered during the periodic examination.
The bill would require, consistent with federal law, that screening services under the EPSDT program include screening for trauma, as defined by thebegin delete bill. The bill would require that any child who is removed from the custody or care of his or her parent or legal guardian, as specified, be assessed by the county mental health plan for specialty mental health services.end deletebegin insert bill and as specified.end insert The bill also would require the department, in consultation with the State Department of Socialbegin delete Services,end deletebegin insert
Servicesend insert and others, to adopt, employ, and develop, as appropriate, tools and protocols for screening children for trauma andbegin delete furtherend delete would authorize the department to implement, interpret, or make specific the screening tools and protocols by means of all-county letters, plan letters, or plan or provider bulletins, as specified.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 14132.19 is added to the Welfare and
2Institutions Code, to read:
(a) Consistent with federal law, screening services
4provided under the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and
5Treatment (EPSDT) benefit pursuant to subdivision (v) of Section
614132 shall include screening for traumabegin delete at all screenings.end delete
7
begin insert consistent with the protocols the department develops pursuant to
8subdivision (c).end insert
9(b) A child who is removed from the custody or care of his or
10her parent or legal guardian pursuant to Section 300 and following,
11or Section 727, shall be assessed by the county mental health plan
12for specialty mental health services.
13(c)
end delete
14begin insert(b)end insert “Trauma,” as used in this section,begin delete is defined as any begin insert means the result ofend insert an event, series of
15physiological response toend delete
16events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual
17as physically or emotionally harmful orbegin delete lifeend delete threatening and that
18has lasting adverse effects on the individual’sbegin delete functional and begin insert functioning andend insert
physical, social, emotional, or spiritual
P3 1mental,end delete
2well-being.
3(d)
end delete
4begin insert(c)end insert (1) The department, in consultation with the State
5Department of Social Services, behavioral health experts, child
6welfare experts, and stakeholders, shall adopt, employ, and
7develop, as appropriate, tools and protocols for the screening of
8children for trauma, consistent with existing law and this section.
9(2) Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section
1011340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code,
11the
department may implement, interpret, or make specific this
12subdivision by means of all-county letters, plan letters, plan or
13provider bulletins, or similar instructions, without taking regulatory
14action.
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