Senate File 2265 - Introduced SENATE FILE BY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES (SUCCESSOR TO SSB 3185) Passed Senate, Date Passed House, Date Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays Approved A BILL FOR 1 An Act providing for establishment of a mental health services 2 system for children and youth. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 5355SV 82 5 jp/rj/14 PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 225C.51 DEFINITIONS. 1 2 For the purposes of this division: 1 3 1. "Child" or "children" means a person or persons under 1 4 eighteen years of age. 1 5 2. "Children's system" or "mental health services system 1 6 for children and youth" means the mental health services 1 7 system for children and youth implemented pursuant to this 1 8 division. 1 9 3. "Functional impairment" means difficulties that 1 10 substantially interfere with or limit a person from achieving 1 11 or maintaining one or more developmentally appropriate social, 1 12 behavioral, cognitive, communicative, or adaptive skills and 1 13 that substantially interfere with or limit the person's role 1 14 or functioning in family, school, or community activities. 1 15 "Functional impairment" includes difficulties of episodic, 1 16 recurrent, and continuous duration. "Functional impairment" 1 17 does not include difficulties resulting from temporary and 1 18 expected responses to stressful events in a person's 1 19 environment. 1 20 4. "Other qualifying mental health disorder" means a 1 21 mental health crisis or any diagnosable mental health disorder 1 22 that is likely to lead to mental health crisis unless there is 1 23 an intervention. 1 24 5. "Serious emotional disturbance" means a diagnosable 1 25 mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder of sufficient 1 26 duration to meet diagnostic criteria specified within the most 1 27 current diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders 1 28 published by the American psychiatric association that results 1 29 in a functional impairment. "Serious emotional disturbance" 1 30 does not include substance use and developmental disorders 1 31 unless such disorders co=occur with such a diagnosable mental, 1 32 behavioral, or emotional disorder. 1 33 6. "Youth" means a person eighteen years of age or older 1 34 but under twenty=two years of age who met the criteria for 1 35 having a serious emotional disturbance prior to the age of 2 1 eighteen. 2 2 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 225C.52 MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES 2 3 SYSTEM FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH == PURPOSE. 2 4 1. Establishing a comprehensive community=based mental 2 5 health services system for children and youth is part of 2 6 fulfilling the requirements of the division and the commission 2 7 to facilitate a comprehensive, continuous, and integrated 2 8 state mental health services plan in accordance with sections 2 9 225C.4, 225C.6, and 225C.6A, and other provisions of this 2 10 chapter. The purpose of establishing the children's system is 2 11 to improve access for children and youth with serious 2 12 emotional disturbances and youth with other qualifying mental 2 13 health disorders to mental health treatment, services, and 2 14 other support in the least restrictive setting possible so the 2 15 children and youth can live with their families and remain in 2 16 their communities. The children's system is also intended to 2 17 meet the needs of children and youth who have mental health 2 18 disorders that co=occur with substance abuse, mental 2 19 retardation, developmental disabilities, or other 2 20 disabilities. The children's system shall emphasize 2 21 community=level collaborative efforts between children and 2 22 youth and the families and the state's systems of education, 2 23 child welfare, juvenile justice, health care, substance abuse, 2 24 and mental health. 2 25 2. The goals and outcomes desired for the children's 2 26 system shall include but are not limited to all of the 2 27 following: 2 28 a. Identifying the mental health needs of children and 2 29 youth. 2 30 b. Performing comprehensive assessments of children and 2 31 youth that are designed to identify functional skills, 2 32 strengths, and services needed. 2 33 c. Providing timely access to available treatment, 2 34 services, and other support. 2 35 d. Offering information and referral services to families 3 1 to address service needs other than mental health. 3 2 e. Improving access to needed mental health services by 3 3 allowing children and youth to be served with their families 3 4 in the community. 3 5 f. Preventing or reducing utilization of more costly, 3 6 restrictive care by reducing the unnecessary involvement of 3 7 children and youth who have mental health needs and their 3 8 families with law enforcement, the corrections system, and 3 9 detention, juvenile justice, and other legal proceedings; 3 10 reducing the involvement of children and youth with child 3 11 welfare services or state custody; and reducing the placement 3 12 of children and youth in the state juvenile institutions, 3 13 state mental health institutes, or other public or private 3 14 residential psychiatric facilities. 3 15 g. Increasing the number of children and youth assessed 3 16 for functional skill levels. 3 17 h. Increasing the capacity to develop individualized, 3 18 strengths=based, and integrated treatment plans for children, 3 19 youth, and families. 3 20 i. Promoting communications with caregivers and others 3 21 about the needs of children, youth, and families engaged in 3 22 the children's system. 3 23 j. Developing the ability to aggregate data and 3 24 information, and to evaluate program, service, and system 3 25 efficacy for children, youth, and families being served on a 3 26 local and statewide basis. 3 27 k. Implementing and utilizing outcome measures that are 3 28 consistent with but not limited to the national outcomes 3 29 measures identified by the substance abuse and mental health 3 30 services administration of the United States department of 3 31 health and human services. 3 32 l. Identifying children and youth whose mental health or 3 33 emotional condition, whether chronic or acute, represents a 3 34 danger to themselves, their families, school students or 3 35 staff, or the community. 4 1 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION. 225C.53 ROLE OF DEPARTMENT AND 4 2 DIVISION == TRANSITION TO ADULT SYSTEM. 4 3 1. The department is the lead agency responsible for the 4 4 development, implementation, oversight, and management of the 4 5 mental health services system for children and youth in 4 6 accordance with this chapter. The department's 4 7 responsibilities shall be fulfilled by the division. 4 8 2. The division's responsibilities relating to the 4 9 children's system include but are not limited to all of the 4 10 following: 4 11 a. Ensuring that the rules adopted for the children's 4 12 system provide that, within the limits of appropriations for 4 13 the children's system, children and youth shall not be 4 14 inappropriately denied necessary mental health services. 4 15 b. Establishing standards for the provision of home and 4 16 community=based mental health treatment, services, and other 4 17 support under the children's system. 4 18 c. Identifying and implementing eligibility criteria for 4 19 the treatment, services, and other support available under the 4 20 children's system. 4 21 d. Ongoing implementation of recommendations identified 4 22 through children's system improvement efforts. 4 23 3. An adult person who met the criteria for having a 4 24 serious emotional disturbance prior to the age of eighteen may 4 25 qualify to continue services through the adult mental health 4 26 system. 4 27 Sec. 4. NEW SECTION. 225C.54 MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES 4 28 SYSTEM FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH == INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION. 4 29 1. The mental health services system for children and 4 30 youth shall be initially implemented by the division 4 31 commencing with the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2008. The 4 32 division shall begin implementation by utilizing a competitive 4 33 bidding process to allocate state block grants to develop 4 34 services through existing community mental health centers, 4 35 providers approved in a waiver adopted by the commission to 5 1 provide services to a county in lieu of a community mental 5 2 health center, and other local service partners. The 5 3 implementation shall be limited to the extent of the 5 4 appropriations provided for the children's system. 5 5 2. In order to maximize federal financial participation in 5 6 the children's system, the division and the department's 5 7 Medicaid program staff shall analyze the feasibility of 5 8 leveraging existing Medicaid options, such as expanding the 5 9 home and community=based services waiver for children's mental 5 10 health services, reviewing the feasibility of implementing 5 11 other Medicaid options such as the federal Tax Equity and 5 12 Financial Responsibility Act of 1982 (TEFRA) option for 5 13 children with severe mental illness or emotional disturbance 5 14 and Medicaid administrative funding, and determining the need 5 15 for service enhancements through revisions to the Medicaid 5 16 state plan and the federal state children's health insurance 5 17 program and the healthy and well kids in Iowa program. 5 18 3. Initial block grants shall support a wide range of 5 19 children, youth, and family services and initiatives including 5 20 but not limited to school=based mental health projects, system 5 21 reviews providing service gap analysis, status studies of the 5 22 mental health needs of children and youth in representative 5 23 areas of the state, and mental health assessment capacity 5 24 development based in public and nonpublic schools and clinical 5 25 settings using standard functional assessment tools. The 5 26 purpose of developing the assessment capacity is to determine 5 27 childrens' and youths' degree of impairment in daily 5 28 functioning due to emotional, behavioral, psychological, 5 29 psychiatric, or substance use problems. 5 30 4. The initial block grants may also support an array of 5 31 programs and services including but not limited to mobile 5 32 crisis intervention services, or other support intended to 5 33 prevent more intensive or in=patient interventions, skills 5 34 training, intensive care coordination, and 5 35 cognitive=behavioral and multisystemic family therapy. In 6 1 addition, support may be provided for prevention=oriented 6 2 services including mental health consultations regarding home 6 3 visits, child welfare, juvenile justice, and maternal and 6 4 child health services, and consultation for preschool 6 5 programs. 6 6 5. The division shall report regularly to the commission, 6 7 general assembly, and governor concerning the implementation 6 8 status of the children's system, including but not limited to 6 9 an annual report submitted each January. The report may 6 10 address funding requirements and statutory amendments 6 11 necessary to further develop the children's system. 6 12 EXPLANATION 6 13 This bill provides for creation of a mental health services 6 14 system for children and youth by the division of mental health 6 15 and disability services of the department of human services. 6 16 New Code section 225C.51 provides definitions of the terms 6 17 "child" or "children", "children's system" or "mental health 6 18 services system for children and youth", "functional 6 19 impairment", "other qualifying mental health disorder", 6 20 "serious emotional disturbance", and "youth". "Youth" is 6 21 defined to mean a person age 18 or older but less than age 22 6 22 who met the criteria for having a serious emotional 6 23 disturbance prior to age 18. 6 24 New Code section 225C.52 states the purpose and the goals 6 25 and outcomes desired for the children's system. The purpose 6 26 is to improve access for children and youth with serious 6 27 emotional disturbances and youth with other qualifying mental 6 28 health disorders to mental health treatment, services, and 6 29 other support in the least restrictive setting possible so the 6 30 children and youth can live with their families and remain in 6 31 their communities. 6 32 New Code section 225C.53 outlines the role of the 6 33 department of human services as the lead agency for the 6 34 children's system and designates the division of mental health 6 35 and disability services to fulfill various responsibilities 7 1 relating to the system. 7 2 New Code section 252C.54 outlines requirements for the 7 3 initial implementation of the system in FY 2008=2009 using 7 4 competitive block grants through existing community mental 7 5 health centers, providers approved to provide services in 7 6 place of a community mental health center, and other local 7 7 service providers, requiring the department to analyze options 7 8 for leveraging additional Medicaid options, and engaging local 7 9 school, child welfare, juvenile justice, mental health, and 7 10 health care professionals. Certain services, such as 7 11 school=based mental health services and the development of 7 12 mental health assessment capacity based in public and 7 13 nonpublic schools and clinical settings, are required to be 7 14 supported through the block grants. The services supported 7 15 may also include other services such as mobile crisis 7 16 intervention services and prevention=oriented services. 7 17 The division is required to regularly report on the status 7 18 of the implementation to the mental health, mental 7 19 retardation, developmental disabilities, and brain injury 7 20 commission, governor, and general assembly, including an 7 21 annual report each January. 7 22 LSB 5355SV 82 7 23 jp/rj/14