BILL NUMBER: SB 970ENROLLED BILL TEXT PASSED THE SENATE AUGUST 29, 2012 PASSED THE ASSEMBLY AUGUST 22, 2012 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 20, 2012 AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 29, 2012 AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 17, 2012 AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 9, 2012 AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 29, 2012 INTRODUCED BY Senator De Len (Principal coauthor: Senator Alquist) (Coauthor: Senator DeSaulnier) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Ammiano, Hill, Portantino, Williams, and Yamada) JANUARY 17, 2012 An act to add and repeal Section 15927 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to health and human services. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 970, De Len. Health Care Reform Eligibility, Enrollment, and Retention Planning Act: coordination with other programs. Existing law, the Health Care Reform Eligibility, Enrollment, and Retention Planning Act, requires the State Department of Health Care Services, in consultation with specified entities, to establish standardized single, accessible application forms and related renewal procedures for state health subsidy programs, as defined, in accordance with specified requirements. This bill would provide for the transmittal to a county human services department of information about an applicant initially applying for, or renewing, health care coverage using the single state application developed pursuant to the act, if the applicant consents to have his or her application information used to simultaneously initiate applications for CalWORKs and CalFresh, for initiation of the application. This bill would authorize the Secretary of California Health and Human Services to phase in implementation of these provisions under certain circumstances. The bill would require the California Health and Human Services Agency to convene a workgroup of human services and health care advocates, legislative staff, and other specified representatives, to consider the feasibility, costs, and benefits of integrating application and renewal processes for additional human services and work support programs with the single state application described in the bill, and to provide, by July 1, 2013, specified details regarding the workgroup to the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature. This bill would require that the functionality necessary to implement the cross-application process be achieved by the expiration of a specified federal waiver. This bill would provide that those provisions would become inoperative under certain circumstances. By imposing new duties on counties, this bill would impose 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. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 15927 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read: 15927. (a) At the time of initial application for, or renewal of, health care coverage using the single state application described in subdivision (c) of Section 15926, if an individual consents to have his or her health care application information used to initiate a simultaneous application for the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program or the CalFresh program, that information shall be transmitted to the applicable county human services department to initiate the application. (b) The California Health and Human Services Agency shall convene a workgroup of human services and health care advocates, legislative staff, representatives of county human services departments and county eligibility workers, and staff from appropriate state and local departments, to consider the feasibility, costs, and benefits of integrating application and renewal processes for additional human services and work support programs with the single state application described in subdivision (c) of Section 15926. The California Health and Human Services Agency, by July 1, 2013, shall provide to the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature details regarding the workgroup convened pursuant to this subdivision. (c) The functionality necessary to implement subdivision (a) shall be achieved no later than the expiration of the federal waiver for Office of Management and Budget Circular A-87, which requires states to evenly allocate the development costs for systems that are federally funded and will be used to determine eligibility for multiple programs. (d) If the secretary determines that it is necessary, in order to ensure timely and accurate decisions on applications for aid, to phase in implementation of subdivision (a), implementation may be phased in, provided that program eligibility shall not be reduced. (e) (1) If the secretary determines that the implementation of subdivision (a) would prevent the timely implementation of the single, standardized application for state health subsidy programs as described in subdivision (c) of Section 15926, the secretary shall report his or her recommendation to the Legislature, hold a public hearing on the issue, and execute a declaration stating that he or she has determined it is necessary to cease implementation of subdivision (a). The secretary shall provide a copy of the declaration to the Secretary of the Senate, the Chief Clerk of the Assembly, and the Legislative Counsel, and post the declaration on the California Health and Human Services Agency Internet Web site. (2) On the date the secretary executes a declaration pursuant to paragraph (1), this section shall become inoperative, and shall be repealed on the next January 1 that is at least two years after the inoperative date, unless a later enacted statute extends or repeals that date. SEC. 2. If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.