Emergency air medical transportation providers: penalty levy: reimbursement augmentation.

Existing law requires an additional state penalty of $10 for every $10, or part of $10, to be levied upon every fine, penalty, or forfeiture imposed and collected by the courts for all criminal offenses. Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which health care services, including medical transportation services, are provided to qualified low-income persons. The Medi-Cal program is partially governed and funded under federal Medicaid provisions. This bill, which is to be known as the Emergency Air Medical Transportation Act, would levy an additional penalty of $3 upon every fine, penalty, or forfeiture imposed and collected by the courts for all offenses involving a vehicle violation, except as specified, in each county. This bill would require the additional penalty to be collected together with, and in the same manner as, the aforementioned state penalty. This bill would require each county board of supervisors to establish in the county treasury an emergency air medical transportation act fund into which the penalty collected pursuant to this bill would be deposited. This bill would require, on the last day of each calendar quarter of the year, the county treasurer to transfer moneys in the county's emergency air medical transportation act fund to the Controller for credit to the Emergency Air Medical Transportation Act Fund, which is created by the bill and to be administered by the department. The moneys in this fund would be used by the department, appropriation by the Legislature, to augment Medi-Cal reimbursement paid to emergency air medical transportation services providers. The bill would require the department to use the moneys in the Emergency Air Medical Transportation Act Fund and federal matching funds to increase the Medi-Cal reimbursement or supplemental payments for emergency air medical transportation services in an amount not to exceed normal and customary charges charged by the emergency air ambulance transportation services provider. By requiring counties to create emergency air medical transportation act funds and then deposit the levy imposed by this bill into those funds, this bill would create a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.