The act prohibits a prepaid inpatient health plan from: Requiring prior authorization for outpatient psychotherapy services; Retroactively recovering provider payments if a recipient was initially determined to be eligible for medical benefits or the prepaid inpatient health plan makes an error processing the claim but the claim is otherwise accurately submitted by the provider; and Retroactively recovering provider payments after 12 months from the date a claim was paid, except in certain circumstances. If a prepaid inpatient health plan retroactively recovers a provider payment that is equal to or greater than $1,000, the act requires the prepaid inpatient health plan to work with the provider to develop a payment plan if the provider requests a payment plan. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
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The act requires crisis system facilities and programs, including crisis walk-in centers, respite services, and mobile crisis programs, to meet minimum standards to provide mental health and substance use disorder services. The act clarifies that crisis system facilities and programs shall provide behavioral health services to individuals experiencing a substance use disorder crisis. Mobile crisis programs and crisis walk-in centers shall provide crisis response screening services to any individual, including youth of any age and individuals with a disability. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
In reporting levels of attainment on the performance indicators by each public school, school district, the charter school institute (institute), and the state as a whole, the act requires the department of education (department) to include for the 2021-22 school year data concerning the percentage of students who contributed to the state longitudinal academic growth indicator. Under current law, the department is required to annually determine the levels of attainment on various performance indicators for each public school, school district, the institute, and the state as a whole. Furthermore, under current law, the department is not required to determine the levels of attainment of each public school, school district, the institute, or the state as a whole for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years. For the 2021-22 school year, the act requires the department to determine the level of attainment for each public school, school district, the institute, and the state as a whole, based on the statewide targets required for the 2018-19 school year. Under current law, for purposes of calculating a school district's or the institute's consecutive years on performance watch, the department is required to count the school district's accreditation rating for the 2022-23 school year as if it were consecutive to the 2019-20 school year. The act suspends counting a school district's accreditation rating until the 2023-24 school year. Under current law, so long as a school district or the institute performs at a level consistent with being accredited with priority improvement plan or lower, a state review panel is required to consider various criteria in evaluating performance and recommending actions. The act adds to these criteria consideration of a school district's or the institute's 2022-23 accreditation category or the public school's 2022-23 plan type. Under current law, the school transformation grant program generally provides funding to school districts, the institute, and charter schools that are implementing priority improvement or turnaround plans. For grants awarded in the 2022-23 budget year, the act extends grant eligibility to school districts, the institute, and charter schools that are implementing improvement plans. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act implements the recommendation of the department of regulatory agencies' sunset review and report concerning the strategic action planning group on aging by repealing the planning group. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under current law, a child is neglected or dependent if the child's environment is injurious to the child's health or welfare. The act clarifies that a child is not neglected when allowed to participate in certain independent activities that a reasonable and prudent parent, guardian, or legal custodian would consider safe given the child's maturity, condition, and abilities. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act updates the "Older Coloradans' Act" (act). The purpose of the act is to support older Coloradans through community planning, social services, health and well-being services, and strategies to prepare the state's infrastructure for an increasing older population of Coloradans. The act updates include: Reorganizing the commission on aging (commission) and increasing membership from 17 to 19 in order to coordinate and implement the strategic action plan on aging (plan) and to make recommendations; Appointing a state department of human services (state department) liaison to act as the primary contact for the commission in order to coordinate commission-related duties with the state department and other state agencies; Convening a technical advisory committee (committee) comprised of key state agency representatives to direct the implementation of the plan and the commission's recommendations; and Creating the lifelong Colorado initiative within the state department's state office on aging to coordinate strategies and implementation of the plan and the commission's recommendations with the commission, committee, and key state agencies.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act permits the university of northern Colorado (UNC) to offer specialized degree programs in osteopathic medicine. The act creates an exception to the university of Colorado health sciences center campus' exclusive authority in medicine for UNC's osteopathic medicine degree program. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act requires the state department of human services (department) to promulgate additional rules relating to children and youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (children and youth) who are in out-of-home placements. The additional rules include access to the interdisciplinary appeals review panel (review panel) for the appeals process for children and youth who have been determined to be ineligible for the program of services (program) for children and youth who have been placed out of the home. The act allows for the addition of additional members to the review panel. To promote transparency and accountability, the act requires the department to submit a report on details of the program to the health and human services committee of the senate and the public and behavioral health and human services committee of the house of representatives, or any successor committees, and details the information required on the report. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act enacts the "Occupational Therapy Licensure Interstate Compact" (compact), allowing occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants who are licensed in any state that is a member of the compact to provide occupational therapy services in other member states.The director of the division of professions and occupations in the department of regulatory agencies is authorized to issue provisional occupational therapy licenses and provisional occupational therapy assistant licenses to certain qualified individuals and to implement the compact, including through the adoption of rules and the regulation of telehealth in accordance with the compact.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)