Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2244 Compare Versions

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1	1	88R7617 JG-F
2	2	By: Campos H.B. No. 2244
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the establishment of a pilot project to provide
8	8	supportive housing services through Medicaid to persons
9	9	experiencing chronic homelessness.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Subtitle I, Title 4, Government Code, is amended
12	12	by adding Chapter 542 to read as follows:
13	13	CHAPTER 542. TEXAS PATHWAYS PILOT PROJECT
14	14	Sec. 542.001. DEFINITION. In this chapter, "pilot project"
15	15	means the Texas pathways pilot project established by the
16	16	commission under this chapter.
17	17	Sec. 542.002. CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS. (a) For purposes of
18	18	this chapter, an individual or family is considered to be
19	19	experiencing chronic homelessness if the individual or family:
20	20	(1) is homeless and living or residing in a safe haven,
21	21	emergency shelter, or place not meant for human habitation;
22	22	(2) for a continuous year during the preceding year or
23	23	on at least four separate occasions during the preceding three
24	24	years, was homeless and lived or resided in a safe haven, emergency
25	25	shelter, or place not meant for human habitation; and
26	26	(3) is the head of household who has, or is a member of
27	27	a household whose head of household has:
28	28	(A) a diagnosed substance use disorder, serious
29	29	mental illness, developmental disability, post-traumatic stress
30	30	disorder, cognitive impairment resulting from a brain injury, or
31	31	chronic illness or disability; or
32	32	(B) the simultaneous occurrence of any two or
33	33	more of the diagnosed conditions listed in Paragraph (A).
34	34	(b) Notwithstanding Subsection (a)(1), an individual who
35	35	lives or resides in an institutional care facility, including a
36	36	jail, substance use or mental health treatment facility, hospital,
37	37	or other similar facility, for a period of not more than 90 days is
38	38	considered to be experiencing chronic homelessness if, before
39	39	living or residing in the institutional care facility, the
40	40	individual met the requirements of Subsection (a).
41	41	Sec. 542.003. ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF PILOT PROJECT.
42	42	(a) The commission shall establish and operate a statewide Texas
43	43	pathways pilot project to provide to individuals experiencing
44	44	chronic homelessness supportive housing services through Medicaid,
45	45	including the following services:
46	46	(1) behavioral health services, including mental
47	47	health and substance use services;
48	48	(2) case management services;
49	49	(3) personal care and personal assistance services;
50	50	(4) home and community-based services; and
51	51	(5) other housing support services.
52	52	(b) In establishing the pilot project, the commission shall
53	53	consider and determine:
54	54	(1) eligibility criteria for participation in the
55	55	pilot project, including criteria on:
56	56	(A) an individual's health conditions;
57	57	(B) an individual's housing status; and
58	58	(C) current or potential costs of providing
59	59	supportive housing services to pilot project participants through
60	60	Medicaid;
61	61	(2) supportive housing services to be provided to
62	62	pilot project participants, including:
63	63	(A) outreach and engagement services;
64	64	(B) housing search assistance;
65	65	(C) education on tenants' rights and
66	66	responsibilities;
67	67	(D) eviction prevention services;
68	68	(E) supportive housing service plans;
69	69	(F) the coordination of supportive housing
70	70	services with:
71	71	(i) primary and health home care;
72	72	(ii) substance use treatment;
73	73	(iii) mental health treatment;
74	74	(iv) vision and dental services; and
75	75	(v) hospital and emergency room services;
76	76	(G) crisis intervention and critical time
77	77	intervention services;
78	78	(H) education on independent living skills; and
79	79	(I) services to link pilot project participants
80	80	to education, job skills training, and employment opportunities;
81	81	(3) financing and reinvestment strategies that
82	82	account for:
83	83	(A) the health care costs and housing status of
84	84	Medicaid recipients;
85	85	(B) the degree to which accurate and current
86	86	information on the housing status of Medicaid recipients is
87	87	available;
88	88	(C) the health care costs of individuals
89	89	receiving supportive housing services;
90	90	(D) the health care costs of Medicaid recipients
91	91	who receive Medicaid benefits from federal matching funds available
92	92	under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Pub. L.
93	93	No. 111-148), as amended by the Health Care and Education
94	94	Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Pub. L. No. 111-152), if applicable;
95	95	(E) the pilot project's potential impact on costs
96	96	to other entities, such as jails, long-term care facilities, and
97	97	treatment facilities;
98	98	(F) affordable housing investments that can be
99	99	leveraged to create new housing opportunities for pilot project
100	100	participants; and
101	101	(G) the amount of flexible service dollars
102	102	available to cover pilot project costs not covered under Medicaid;
103	103	and
104	104	(4) the administration of benefits under the pilot
105	105	project, including;
106	106	(A) the role of managed care;
107	107	(B) the role of supportive housing service
108	108	providers; and
109	109	(C) the coordination of the pilot project with
110	110	existing and emerging health care systems.
111	111	Sec. 542.004. REPORTS. (a) Not later than June 1, 2024,
112	112	the commission shall prepare and submit to the governor, lieutenant
113	113	governor, and speaker of the house of representatives a written
114	114	report that includes:
115	115	(1) a summary of the pilot project's progress;
116	116	(2) an assessment of the impact of providing
117	117	supportive housing services through Medicaid, including the costs
118	118	to provide the services, to individuals experiencing chronic
119	119	homelessness;
120	120	(3) an update on any waiver or amendment request
121	121	necessary to modify the state Medicaid plan to provide supportive
122	122	housing services under the pilot project;
123	123	(4) a description of the supportive housing services
124	124	being provided to individuals experiencing chronic homelessness at
125	125	the time the report is prepared;
126	126	(5) an analysis of the effectiveness of providing
127	127	supportive housing services at the level at which those services
128	128	are provided at the time the report is prepared;
129	129	(6) estimates of the costs and potential savings of
130	130	expanding health programs administered by the commission to meet
131	131	the needs of individuals experiencing chronic homelessness;
132	132	(7) proposed modification to eligibility criteria for
133	133	supportive housing services; and
134	134	(8) any legislative recommendations.
135	135	(b) Not later than September 1, 2026, the commission shall
136	136	prepare and submit to the governor, lieutenant governor, and
137	137	speaker of the house of representatives a final written report on
138	138	the pilot project that includes:
139	139	(1) a summary of the results of the pilot project;
140	140	(2) a statement on the pilot project's success in
141	141	providing supportive housing services to individuals experiencing
142	142	chronic homelessness;
143	143	(3) a recommendation as to whether the pilot project
144	144	should be continued as a pilot project or permanent program; and
145	145	(4) any legislative recommendations.
146	146	Sec. 542.005. CONCLUSION; EXPIRATION. (a) The pilot
147	147	project established under this chapter concludes September 1, 2025.
148	148	(b) This chapter expires September 1, 2027.
149	149	SECTION 2. If before implementing any provision of this Act
150	150	a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from a
151	151	federal agency is necessary for implementation of that provision,
152	152	the agency affected by the provision shall request the waiver or
153	153	authorization and may delay implementing that provision until the
154	154	waiver or authorization is granted.
155	155	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.