Community services boards; discharge planning.

Community services boards; discharge planning. Reduces from within 30 days to within 72 hours of an individual's identification as ready for discharge the time by which a community services board must document its disagreement with the determination that an individual is ready for discharge from a state hospital or training center. The bill also directs the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to establish a work group with representatives of the Virginia Association of Community Services Boards to (i) review the current process for discharging patients from state mental health hospitals, including the current assigned responsibilities of state hospital staff and community services board staff, as well as the barriers to timely discharge for patients clinically ready to discharge, and (ii) develop potential options to expedite the discharge process for individuals who can be safely discharged back into the community. The bill directs the work group to develop a plan that includes recommendations for expediting the discharge process and identify the necessary funding to ensure that individuals receive essential services upon discharge and that discharges are timely. The bill requires the work group to report its findings and conclusions and its plan to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions and the Senate Committee on Education and Health by September 1, 2021.