CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 2492

Introduced by Assembly Member Choi

February 19, 2020

An act to add Section 14596 to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to public social services.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 2492, as introduced, Choi. California Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE program).
Existing federal law establishes the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), which provides specified services for older individuals at a PACE center, defined, in part, as a facility that includes a primary care clinic, so that they may continue living in the community. Federal law authorizes states to implement the PACE program as a Medicaid state option.
Existing state law establishes the California Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE program), to provide community-based, risk-based, and capitated long-term care services as optional services under the state’s Medi-Cal State Plan, as specified. Existing law authorizes the State Department of Health Care Services to enter into contracts with various entities for the purpose of implementing the PACE program and fully implementing the single state agency responsibilities assumed by the department pursuant to those contracts, as specified.
This bill would require the department, if the department approves a PACE center to provide PACE services, to authorize the PACE center to provide PACE services for the maximum number of individuals for which the PACE center is eligible to provide PACE services. The bill would further require the department to give this authorization in writing and provide detailed reasons for the specific maximum number of individuals for which the PACE center is eligible to provide services.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 14596 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:

14596.
 If the State Department of Health Care Services approves a PACE center, as defined in Section 460.6 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations, to provide PACE services, the department shall authorize the PACE center to provide PACE services for the maximum number of individuals for which the PACE center is eligible to provide PACE services. The department’s authorization shall be in writing and provide detailed reasons for the specific maximum number of individuals for which the PACE center is eligible to provide PACE services.