Medi-Cal: universal assessment tool report.

Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services, including, among other services, home- and community-based services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid Program provisions. Existing law, until July 1, 2017, requires the State Department of Health Care Services, the State Department of Social Services, and the California Department of Aging to establish a stakeholder workgroup, as prescribed, to develop a universal assessment process, including a universal assessment tool, to be used for home- and community-based services. No later than March 1, 2014, existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services, the State Department of Social Services, and the California Department of Aging to report to the Legislature on the stakeholder workgroup's progress in developing the universal assessment process and to identify the counties and beneficiary categories for which the universal assessment process may be implemented. No sooner than January 1, 2015, upon completion of the design and development of that universal assessment tool, existing law authorizes managed care health plans, counties, and other home- and community-based services providers to test the use of the tool for certain beneficiaries in no fewer than 2, and no more than 4, specified counties if certain conditions have been met. No later than 9 months after the implementation of the universal assessment process, existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services, the State Department of Social Services, and the California Department of Aging, to report to the Legislature on the results of the initial use of the universal assessment process. This bill would extend the operation of these provisions until September 1, 2018. The bill would instead require the State Department of Health Care Services, the State Department of Social Services, and the California Department of Aging to report to the Legislature on the stakeholder workgroup's progress no later than December 1, 2016. The bill would instead require the State Department of Health Care Services, the State Department of Social Services, and the California Department of Aging to report to the Legislature on the results of the initial use of the universal assessment process no later than 15 months after the implementation of the universal assessment process. The bill would require this report to include, among other things, findings from consumers assessed using the universal assessment tool regarding their satisfaction of the universal assessment process.