Sec. 17a-22a. Connecticut Community KidCare. Requirements. Memorandum of understanding for joint administration. Consultation during development. Federal waivers or amendments.
Sec. 17a-22a. Connecticut Community KidCare. Requirements. Memorandum of understanding for joint administration. Consultation during development.
Federal waivers or amendments. (a) The Commissioner of Social Services and the
Commissioner of Children and Families shall, within available appropriations, develop
and administer an integrated behavioral health service delivery system to be known as
Connecticut Community KidCare. Said system shall provide services to children and
youths with behavioral health needs who are in the custody of the Department of Children
and Families, who are eligible to receive services from the HUSKY Plan, Part A or the
federally subsidized portion of Part B, or receive services under the voluntary services
program operated by the Department of Children and Families. All necessary changes
to the IV-E, Title XIX and Title XXI state plans shall be made to maximize federal
financial participation. The Commissioner of Social Services may amend the state Medicaid plan to facilitate the claiming of federal reimbursement for private nonmedical
institutions as defined in the Social Security Act. The Commissioner of Social Services
may implement policies and procedures necessary to provide reimbursement for the
services provided by private nonmedical institutions, as defined in 42 CFR Part 434,
while in the process of adopting such policies and procedures in regulation form, provided the commissioner prints notice of intention to adopt the regulations in the Connecticut Law Journal within twenty days of implementing such policies and procedures.
Policies and procedures implemented pursuant to this subsection shall be valid until the
time such regulations are effective.
(b) Connecticut Community KidCare shall, within available appropriations, provide a comprehensive benefit package of behavioral health specialty services. The
HUSKY Plan shall continue to provide primary behavioral health services and may
provide additional behavioral health services to be determined by the Department of
Social Services and shall assure an integration of such services with the behavioral
health services provided by Connecticut Community KidCare.
(c) Connecticut Community KidCare shall include: (1) A system of care model in
which service planning is based on the needs and preferences of the child or youth and
his or her family and that places an emphasis on early identification, prevention and
treatment; (2) a comprehensive behavioral health program with a flexible benefit package that shall include clinically necessary and appropriate home and community-based
treatment services and comprehensive support services in the least restrictive setting;
(3) community-based care planning and service delivery, including services and supports for children from birth through early childhood that link Connecticut Community
KidCare to the early childhood community and promote emotional wellness; (4) comprehensive children and youth behavioral health training for agency and system staff
and interested parents and guardians; (5) an efficient balance of local participation and
state-wide administration; (6) integration of agency funding to support the benefit package; (7) a performance measurement system for monitoring quality and access; (8) accountability for quality, access and cost; (9) elimination of the major gaps in services
and barriers to access services; (10) a system of care that is family-focused with respect
for the legal rights of the child or youth and his or her parents and provides training,
support and family advocacy services; (11) assurances of timely payment of service
claims; (12) assurances that no child or youth shall be disenrolled or inappropriately
discharged due to behavioral health care needs; and (13) identification of youths in need
of transition services to adult systems.
(d) The Commissioner of Social Services and the Commissioner of Children and
Families shall enter into a memorandum of understanding for the purpose of the joint
administration of Connecticut Community KidCare. Such memorandum of understanding shall establish mechanisms to administer funding for, establish standards for and
monitor implementation of Connecticut Community KidCare and specify that (1) the
Department of Social Services, which is the agency designated as the single state agency
for the administration of the Medicaid program pursuant to Title XIX of the Social
Security Act and is the agency responsible for the administration of the HUSKY Plan,
Part B under Title XXI of the Social Security Act, manage all Medicaid and HUSKY
Plan modifications, waiver amendments, federal reporting and claims processing and
provide financial management, and (2) the Department of Children and Families, which
is the state agency responsible for administering and evaluating a comprehensive and
integrated state-wide program of services for children and youths with behavioral health
needs, define the services to be included in the continuum of care and develop state-wide training programs for providers, families and other persons.
(e) Said commissioners shall consult with the Commissioner of Mental Health and
Addiction Services, the Commissioner of Developmental Services, the Commissioner
of Public Health and the Commissioner of Education during the development of Connecticut Community KidCare in order to (1) ensure coordination of a delivery system
of behavioral health services across the life span of children, youths and adults with
behavioral health needs, (2) maximize federal reimbursement and revenue, and (3) ensure the coordination of care and funding among agencies.
(f) The Commissioner of Social Services and the Commissioner of Children and
Families may apply for any federal waivers or waiver amendments necessary to implement the provisions of this section.
(June Sp. Sess. P.A. 00-2, S. 3, 53; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-2, S. 43, 69; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9, S. 129, 131; P.A. 03-19, S. 32, 33; P.A. 06-196, S. 114, 115; P.A. 07-73, S. 2(b).)
History: June Sp. Sess. P.A. 00-2 effective July 1, 2000; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-2 made substantial revisions to section
and amended Subsec. (a) to delete former criteria provisions and require, within available appropriations, the development
and administration of an integrated behavioral health service delivery system known as Connecticut Community KidCare,
to specify the children and youth who are eligible for services, to authorize Commissioner of Social Services to amend
state Medicaid plan to facilitate the claiming of federal reimbursement for private nonmedical institutions and to authorize
said commissioner to implement policies and procedures necessary to provide reimbursement for services provided by
such institutions while in process of adopting such policies and procedures in regulation form, added new Subsec. (b) re
services provided by Connecticut Community KidCare and the HUSKY Plan and the integration of such services, added
new Subsec. (c) specifying thirteen elements Connecticut Community KidCare shall include, redesignated existing Subsec.
(b) as Subsec. (d), substituting "Connecticut Community KidCare" for "integrated behavioral health service delivery
system", deleting reference to "combined" funding and training programs "on the systems of care approach", adding in
Subdiv.(1) language that Department of Social Services is the agency responsible for the administration of HUSKY Plan
and substituting in Subdiv. (2) "with behavioral health needs" for "who are seriously emotionally disturbed", deleted
former Subsecs. (c) and (d), amended Subsec. (e) to require commissioners to also consult with the Commissioners of
Public Health and Education, to substitute "Connecticut Community KidCare" for "the integrated behavioral health service
delivery system", to insert three new Subdiv. designators and add new language in Subdiv. (2) to maximize federal reimbursement and revenue and in Subdiv. (3) to ensure the coordination of care and funding among agencies, and amended
Subsec. (f) to authorize commissioners to apply for any waiver amendments necessary, effective July 1, 2001; June Sp.
Sess. P.A. 01-9 revised effective date of June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-2 but without affecting this section; P.A. 03-19 made
technical changes in Subsecs. (a) and (d), effective May 12, 2003; P.A. 06-196 made a technical change in Subsecs. (a),
(d) and (e), effective June 7, 2006; pursuant to P.A. 07-73 "Commissioner of Mental Retardation" was changed editorially
by the Revisors to "Commissioner of Developmental Services", effective October 1, 2007.