Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1695 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	88R11332 BDP-F
2	2	By: Blanco S.B. No. 1695
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the establishment of the case assistance affiliate
8	8	program to provide certain assistance to Medicaid recipients and
9	9	child health plan program enrollees.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Chapter 531, Government Code, is amended by
12	12	adding Subchapter T to read as follows:
13	13	SUBCHAPTER T. CASE ASSISTANCE AFFILIATE PROGRAM
14	14	Sec. 531.801. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
15	15	(1) "Case assistance affiliate" means a managed care
16	16	organization or dental maintenance organization that participates
17	17	in the program by assisting Medicaid recipients and child health
18	18	plan program enrollees by providing application and renewal
19	19	assistance and benefit case management services.
20	20	(2) "Case assistant" means an employee of a case
21	21	assistance affiliate who directly provides application and renewal
22	22	assistance and benefit case management services to a recipient or
23	23	enrollee.
24	24	(3) "Enrollee" means an individual enrolled in the
25	25	child health plan program.
26	26	(4) "Program" means the case assistance affiliate
27	27	program established under this subchapter.
28	28	(5) "Program manager" means the employee of a case
29	29	assistance affiliate who is designated by the affiliate to oversee:
30	30	(A) case assistants; and
31	31	(B) the application and renewal assistance
32	32	activities and benefit case management services provided by the
33	33	affiliate under the program.
34	34	(6) "Recipient" means a Medicaid recipient.
35	35	(7) "Virtual case assistance website" means an
36	36	Internet website described by Section 531.803.
37	37	Sec. 531.802. ESTABLISHMENT OF CASE ASSISTANCE AFFILIATE
38	38	PROGRAM. (a) The commission shall:
39	39	(1) establish a statewide case assistance affiliate
40	40	program under which managed care organizations and dental
41	41	maintenance organizations that participate in Medicaid or the child
42	42	health plan program are allowed to operate as case assistance
43	43	affiliates by maintaining virtual case assistance websites; and
44	44	(2) provide a training and certification process for
45	45	program managers and case assistants providing services under the
46	46	program.
47	47	(b) In establishing the program, the commission:
48	48	(1) shall consult with:
49	49	(A) experts, as determined by the commission; and
50	50	(B) other interested persons, including managed
51	51	care organizations and dental maintenance organizations
52	52	participating in Medicaid or the child health plan program; and
53	53	(2) may establish a work group or advisory committee
54	54	that includes interested persons to advise the commission on the
55	55	establishment of the program.
56	56	Sec. 531.803. VIRTUAL CASE ASSISTANCE WEBSITES. (a) A case
57	57	assistance affiliate shall establish and maintain Internet
58	58	websites for purposes of providing virtual application and renewal
59	59	assistance and benefit case management services to the recipients
60	60	and enrollees served by those organizations.
61	61	(b) In providing benefit case management services, a case
62	62	assistance affiliate may use its virtual case assistance website to
63	63	assist a recipient or enrollee with applying for and managing the
64	64	recipient's or enrollee's benefits under other public assistance
65	65	programs, including nutritional and financial assistance benefits.
66	66	(c) The commission shall ensure that a virtual case
67	67	assistance website allows a recipient or enrollee to access the
68	68	website from any electronic device that provides Internet access.
69	69	Sec. 531.804. ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSE. The commission shall
70	70	allow a case assistance affiliate to categorize the services the
71	71	affiliate provides under the program as administrative expenses.
72	72	Sec. 531.805. RULES: PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS AND STANDARDS.
73	73	The executive commissioner shall adopt rules necessary to implement
74	74	the program, including rules:
75	75	(1) establishing requirements for a managed care
76	76	organization or dental maintenance organization to participate in
77	77	the program;
78	78	(2) establishing the training and certification
79	79	process required by Section 531.802(a)(2);
80	80	(3) providing for the suspension, revocation, and, as
81	81	appropriate, periodic renewal of a case assistant's or program
82	82	manager's certification;
83	83	(4) protecting the confidentiality of recipients' and
84	84	enrollees' information; and
85	85	(5) establishing any other standards or requirements
86	86	the executive commissioner determines necessary.
87	87	SECTION 2. If before implementing any provision of this Act
88	88	a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from a
89	89	federal agency is necessary for implementation of that provision,
90	90	the agency affected by the provision shall request the waiver or
91	91	authorization and may delay implementing that provision until the
92	92	waiver or authorization is granted.
93	93	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
94	94	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
95	95	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
96	96	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
97	97	Act takes effect September 1, 2023.