Waiver Slots. The Committee adopted the (lower) Senate funding (and rider as amended) to reduce the interest lists. The funding is to support 60 Medically Dependent Children Program slots, 240 Community Living and Support Services slots, 1,320 Home and Community-Based Services slots, and 8 Deaf-Blind Multiple Disabilities slots. ($24.8 million GR or $66.7 million All Funds). By adopting the Senate amount, the Committee did not adopt the House recommendations for 2,746 Home and Community-Based Services waiver slots for the Promoting Independence Initiative.
- Expansion of Community-based Services.
(a) Appropriations made above to the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) for the purpose of reducing interest lists include $24,792,919 in General Revenue ($66,661,790 in All Funds) for the following additional waiver slots:
(1) 60 Medically Dependent Children’s Program slots;
(2) 240 Community Living and Support Services slots;
(3) 1,320 Home and Community-based Services (HCS) slots; and
(4) 8 Deaf-Blind Multiple Disabilities slots.
(b) All waiver slots identified in subsection (a) are end-of-year targets for fiscal year Appropriations assume equal rollout throughout the 2020-21 biennium. HHSC shall take any action necessary to ensure that persons are enrolled in waiver services as intended by appropriations and shall provide a plan for achieving this goal. The plan shall be submitted by October 1, 2019, and progress reports related to achieving enrollment goals shall be submitted on March 1, 2020; September 1, 2020; and March 1, 2021. Each progress report shall identify the number of persons enrolled in each type of slot, planned enrollment for the remainder of the 2020-21 biennium, any issues with enrollment identified by the agency, and how the agency plans to address those issues to achieve the targets by the end of fiscal year 2021. The plan and subsequent progress reports shall be submitted to the Legislative Budget Board, the Governor, the Senate Finance Committee, and the House Appropriations Committee.
(c) Notwithstanding Special Provisions Relating to All Health and Human Services Agencies, Sec. 4(c), Limitations on Use of Available General Revenue Funds, in the event that increased Federal Funds become available due to availability of enhanced match under the Money Follows the Person demonstration, HHSC may expend the General Revenue Funds made available to further reduce interest lists in the strategies where the funds are made available.
(d) HHSC may consider factors such as length of time on the interest list, size of interest list, demographics, average cost, and crisis stabilization in providing services to interest list clients on a program-specific basis.
(e) It is the intent of the legislature that HHSC continue to promote diversion and transition from institutions. If HHSC determines that a sufficient unmet need of this rider to serve individuals through the Promoting Independence Initiative.
Services for Home and Community-Based Services Waiver Recipients with High Medical Needs. The Committee did not adopt the House level of funding for development of a high medical needs support service nor did they adopt the House funding for additional dental services, for certain clients, above the current cap.
Find the full report here.
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