Mental health: community-based services.

Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income persons receive health care benefits. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid provisions. Existing law provides for a schedule of benefits under the Medi-Cal program and provides for specified services, including various mental health services. Existing federal law, the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014, requires the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services to, among other things, no later than September 1, 2017, select from among those states awarded a planning grant, the states that may participate in a time-limited demonstration program that is designed to improve access to community mental health and substance use treatment services provided by certified community behavioral health clinics. Existing law requires the department to develop a proposal for the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services to be selected as a participating state in this time-limited demonstration program, as specified. This bill would require the department to provide an update to the Legislature by March 1, 2017, to include specified information if the state is selected as a participating state in this time-limited demonstration program.