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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 944
January Session, 2019
LCO No. 4906
Referred to Committee on HUMAN SERVICES
Introduced by:
(HS)
AN ACT CONCERNING TH E PROVISION OF SERVICES TO
CHILDREN BY OCCUPATI ONAL THERAPISTS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2019) (a) An occupational 1
therapist, licensed pursuant to section 20-74b or 20-74c of the general 2
statutes and providing services on a fee schedule to children enrolled 3
in HUSKY A, may enroll as an independent Medicaid provider and 4
bill the medical assistance program for providing self -care 5
management and motor skills therapy to such children. The 6
Commissioner of Social Services shall provide reimbursement under 7
the independent group fee schedule for such therapy and shall make 8
any necessary changes in the Medicaid state plan to provide such 9
reimbursement. 10
(b) The Commissioner of Social Services, in consultation with the 11
Commissioner of Early Childhood, shall (1) compensate each local or 12
regional board of education and occupational therapists providing 13
Medicaid-eligible services as part of the birth-to-three program, as 14
described in section 17a-248 of the general statutes, at the rate of the 15 Raised Bill No. 944
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independent group fee schedule, (2) require occupational therapists to 16
conduct quarterly audits by submitting documentation verifying that 17
clients appeared for treatment and any billing associated with such 18
treatment, and (3) provide annual training to occupational therapists 19
concerning any new billing requirements. 20
Sec. 2. Section 17a-106e of the general statutes is repealed and the 21
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019): 22
(a) (1) [On and after October 1, 2013, the] The Department of 23
Children and Families shall, within available appropriations, ensure 24
that each child thirty-six months of age or younger who has been 25
substantiated as a victim of abuse or neglect is screened for both 26
developmental and social-emotional delays using [validated 27
assessment tools such as the Ages and Stages and] the Ages and 28
Stages-Social/Emotional Questionnaires. [, or their equivalents.] The 29
department shall ensure that such screenings are administered to any 30
such child twice annually. [, unless such child has been found to be 31
eligible for the birth-to-three program, established under section 17a-32
248b.] 33
(2) [On and after July 1, 2015, the] The department shall ensure that 34
each child thirty-six months of age or younger who is being served 35
through the department's family assessment response program, 36
established under section 17a-101g, is screened for both developmental 37
and social-emotional delays using [validated assessment tools such as] 38
the Ages and Stages and the Ages and Stages-Social/Emotional 39
Questionnaires. [, or their equivalents, unless such child has been 40
found to be eligible for the birth-to-three program.] 41
(b) The department shall refer any child exhibiting developmental 42
or social-emotional delays pursuant to such screenings to the birth-to-43
three program. The department shall refer any child who is not found 44
eligible for services under the birth-to-three program to the Help Me 45
Grow prevention program under the Office of Early Childhood, 46
pursuant to section 17b-751d, or a similar program that the department 47 Raised Bill No. 944
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deems appropriate. 48
(c) Not later than July 1, 2014, and annually thereafter, the 49
department shall submit, in accordance with the provisions of section 50
11-4a, a report to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly 51
having cognizance of matters relating to children for inclusion in the 52
annual report card prepared pursuant to section 2-53m on the status of 53
the screening and referral program authorized pursuant to subsection 54
(a) of this section. Such report shall include: (1) The number of children 55
thirty-six months of age or younger within the state who have been 56
substantiated as victims of abuse or neglect within the preceding 57
twelve months; (2) the number of children thirty-six months of age or 58
younger within the state who have been served through the 59
department's family assessment response program within the 60
preceding twelve months; (3) the number of children who were 61
screened for developmental and social-emotional delays pursuant to 62
subsection (a) of this section by the department or by a provider 63
contracted by the department within the preceding twelve months; (4) 64
the number of children in subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection 65
referred for evaluation under the birth-to-three program within the 66
preceding twelve months, the number of such children actually 67
evaluated under such program, the number of such children found 68
eligible for services under such program and the services for which 69
such children were found eligible under such program; and (5) the 70
number of children described in subdivisions (1) and (2) of this 71
subsection receiving evidence-based developmental support services 72
through the birth-to-three program or through a provider contracted 73
by the department within the preceding twelve months. 74
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2019 New section
Sec. 2 July 1, 2019 17a-106e
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Statement of Purpose:
To change the Medicaid reimbursement methodology for occupational
therapists and to require certain screening tools be used to assess
children involved in substantiated cases of abuse and neglect.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline,
except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is
not underlined.]