| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to the delivery of mental health services and supports |
|
|
under a system of care framework to minors who have or are at risk of |
|
|
developing a serious emotional disturbance or who are at risk of |
|
|
being removed from the minor's home. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 531.251, Government Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 531.251. TEXAS SYSTEM OF CARE FRAMEWORK [CONSORTIUM]. |
|
|
(a) In this section: |
|
|
(1) "Minor" means an individual younger than 18 years |
|
|
of age. |
|
|
(2) "Serious emotional disturbance" means a mental, |
|
|
behavioral, or emotional disorder of sufficient duration to result |
|
|
in functional impairment that substantially interferes with or |
|
|
limits a person's role or ability to function in family, school, or |
|
|
community activities. |
|
|
(3) "System of care framework" means a framework for |
|
|
collaboration among state agencies, minors who have a serious |
|
|
emotional disturbance or are at risk of developing a serious |
|
|
emotional disturbance, and the families of those minors that |
|
|
improves access to services and delivers effective community-based |
|
|
services that are family-driven, youth- or young adult-guided, and |
|
|
culturally and linguistically competent. |
|
|
(b) The commission shall implement [form a consortium to
|
|
|
have responsibility for and oversight over] a [state] system of |
|
|
care framework to develop local mental health systems of care in |
|
|
communities for minors who are receiving residential mental health |
|
|
services and supports or inpatient mental health hospitalization, |
|
|
have or are at risk of developing a serious emotional disturbance, |
|
|
or [who] are at risk of being removed from the minor's home and |
|
|
placed in a more restrictive environment to receive mental health |
|
|
services and supports, including an inpatient mental health |
|
|
hospital, a residential treatment facility, or a facility or |
|
|
program operated by the Department of Family and Protective |
|
|
Services or an agency that is part of the juvenile justice system. |
|
|
(c) [(a-1) The consortium must include:
|
|
|
[(1)
representatives of the Department of State Health
|
|
|
Services, Department of Family and Protective Services, Health and
|
|
|
Human Services Commission's Medicaid program, Texas Education
|
|
|
Agency, Texas Juvenile Justice Department, and Texas Correctional
|
|
|
Office on Offenders with Medical or Mental Impairments;
|
|
|
[(2)
one youth or young adult who has a serious
|
|
|
emotional disturbance and has received mental health services and
|
|
|
supports; or
|
|
|
[(3)
a family member of a youth or young adult
|
|
|
described by Subdivision (2).
|
|
|
[(a-2)
The consortium may coordinate with the Children's
|
|
|
Policy Council for the purposes of including the representation
|
|
|
required by Subsections (a-1)(2) and (3).
|
|
|
[(b)] The commission [and the consortium] shall: |
|
|
(1) maintain a comprehensive plan for the delivery of |
|
|
mental health services and supports to a minor and a minor's family |
|
|
using a system of care framework, including best practices in the |
|
|
financing, administration, governance, and delivery of those |
|
|
services; |
|
|
(2) enter memoranda of understanding with the |
|
|
Department of State Health Services, the Department of Family and |
|
|
Protective Services, the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Juvenile |
|
|
Justice Department, and the Texas Correctional Office on Offenders |
|
|
with Medical or Mental Impairments that specify the roles and |
|
|
responsibilities of each agency in implementing the comprehensive |
|
|
plan described by Subdivision (1) [implement strategies to expand
|
|
|
the use of system of care practices in the planning and delivery of
|
|
|
services throughout the state]; |
|
|
(3) identify appropriate local, state, and federal |
|
|
funding sources to finance infrastructure and mental health |
|
|
services and supports needed to support state and local system of |
|
|
care framework efforts; [and] |
|
|
(4) develop an evaluation system to measure |
|
|
cross-system performance and outcomes of state and local system of |
|
|
care framework efforts; and |
|
|
(5) in implementing the provisions of this section, |
|
|
consult with stakeholders, including: |
|
|
(A) minors who have or are at risk of developing a |
|
|
serious emotional disturbance or young adults who received mental |
|
|
health services and supports as a minor with or at risk of |
|
|
developing a serious emotional disturbance; and |
|
|
(B) family members of those minors or young |
|
|
adults. |
|
|
[(b-1)
Not later than November 1 of each even-numbered year,
|
|
|
the consortium shall submit a report to the legislature and the
|
|
|
Council on Children and Families that contains an evaluation of the
|
|
|
outcomes of the Texas System of Care and recommendations on
|
|
|
strengthening state policies and practices that support local
|
|
|
systems of care, including recommendations relating to:
|
|
|
[(1)
methods to increase access to effective and
|
|
|
coordinated services and supports;
|
|
|
[(2)
methods to increase community capacity to
|
|
|
implement local systems of care through training and technical
|
|
|
assistance;
|
|
|
[(3)
use of cross-system performance and outcome data
|
|
|
to make informed decisions at individual and system levels; and
|
|
|
[(4)
strategies to maximize public and private funding
|
|
|
at the local, state, and federal levels.] |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 531.255, Government Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 531.255. EVALUATION. [(a)] The commission [and the
|
|
|
Department of State Health Services jointly] shall monitor the |
|
|
implementation of a system of care framework under Section 531.251 |
|
|
and adopt rules as necessary to facilitate or adjust that |
|
|
implementation [progress of the communities that implement a local
|
|
|
system of care, including monitoring cost avoidance and the net
|
|
|
savings that result from implementing a local system of care]. |
|
|
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
|
|
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
|
|
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
|
|
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
|
|
Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |