(a) The Commissioner of Social Services and the Commissioner of Children and Families shall, within available appropriations, develop and administer an integrated behavioral health service delivery system to be known as Connecticut Community KidCare. Said system shall provide services to children and youths with behavioral health needs who are in the custody of the Department of Children and Families, who are eligible to receive services from HUSKY A or the federally subsidized portion of HUSKY B, or receive services under the voluntary services program operated by the Department of Children and Families. All necessary changes to the IV-E, Title XIX and Title XXI state plans shall be made to maximize federal financial participation. The Commissioner of Social Services may amend the state Medicaid plan to facilitate the claiming of federal reimbursement for private nonmedical institutions as defined in the Social Security Act. The Commissioner of Social Services may implement policies and procedures necessary to provide reimbursement for the services provided by private nonmedical institutions, as defined in 42 CFR Part 434, while in the process of adopting such policies and procedures in regulation form, provided the commissioner publishes notice of intention to adopt the regulations on the Department of Social Services' Internet web site and the eRegulations System within twenty days of implementing such policies and procedures. Policies and procedures implemented pursuant to this subsection shall be valid until the time such regulations are effective.

(b) Connecticut Community KidCare shall, within available appropriations, provide a comprehensive benefit package of behavioral health specialty services. The HUSKY Health program shall continue to provide primary behavioral health services and may provide additional behavioral health services to be determined by the Department of Social Services and shall assure an integration of such services with the behavioral health services provided by Connecticut Community KidCare.

(c) Connecticut Community KidCare shall include: (1) A system of care model in which service planning is based on the needs and preferences of the child or youth and his or her family and that places an emphasis on early identification, prevention and treatment; (2) a comprehensive behavioral health program with a flexible benefit package that shall include clinically necessary and appropriate home and community- based treatment services and comprehensive support services in the least restrictive setting; (3) community-based care planning and service delivery, including services and supports for children from birth through early childhood that link Connecticut Community KidCare to the early childhood community and promote emotional wellness; (4) comprehensive children and youth behavioral health training for agency and system staff and interested parents and guardians; (5) an efficient balance of local participation and state-wide administration; (6) integration of agency funding to support the benefit package; (7) a performance measurement system for monitoring quality and access; (8) accountability for quality, access and cost; (9) elimination of the major gaps in services and barriers to access services; (10) a system of care that is family-focused with respect for the legal rights of the child or youth and his or her parents and provides training, support and family advocacy services; (11) assurances of timely payment of service claims; (12) assurances that no child or youth shall be disenrolled or inappropriately discharged due to behavioral health care needs; and (13) identification of youths in need of transition services to adult systems.

(d) The Commissioner of Social Services and the Commissioner of Children and Families shall enter into a memorandum of understanding for the purpose of the joint administration of Connecticut Community KidCare. Such memorandum of understanding shall establish mechanisms to administer funding for, establish standards for and monitor implementation of Connecticut Community KidCare and specify that(1) the Department of Social Services, which is the agency designated as the single state agency for the administration of the Medicaid program pursuant to Title XIX of the Social Security Act and is the agency responsible for the administration of HUSKY B under Title XXI of the Social Security Act, manage all Medicaid and HUSKY Health program modifications, waiver amendments, federal reporting and claims processing and provide financial management, and (2) the Department of Children and Families, which is the state agency responsible for administering and evaluating a comprehensive and integrated state-wide program of services for children and youths with behavioral health needs, define the services to be included in the continuum of care and develop state-wide training programs for providers, families and other persons.

(e) Said commissioners shall consult with the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the Commissioner of Developmental Services, the Commissioner of Public Health and the Commissioner of Education during the development of Connecticut Community KidCare in order to (1) ensure coordination of a delivery system of behavioral health services across the life span of children, youths and adults with behavioral health needs, (2) maximize federal reimbursement and revenue, and (3) ensure the coordination of care and funding among agencies.

(f) The Commissioner of Social Services and the Commissioner of Children and Families may apply for any federal waivers or waiver amendments necessary to implement the provisions of this section.

(June Sp. Sess. P.A. 00-2, S. 3, 53; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-2, S. 43, 69; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9, S. 129, 131; P.A. 03-19, S. 32, 33; P.A. 06-196, S. 114, 115; P.A. 07-73, S. 2(b); P.A. 15-69, S. 9.)

History: June Sp. Sess. P.A. 00-2 effective July 1, 2000; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-2 made substantial revisions to section and amended Subsec. (a) to delete former criteria provisions and require, within available appropriations, the development and administration of an integrated behavioral health service delivery system known as Connecticut Community KidCare, to specify the children and youth who are eligible for services, to authorize Commissioner of Social Services to amend state Medicaid plan to facilitate the claiming of federal reimbursement for private nonmedical institutions and to authorize said commissioner to implement policies and procedures necessary to provide reimbursement for services provided by such institutions while in process of adopting such policies and procedures in regulation form, added new Subsec. (b) re services provided by Connecticut Community KidCare and the HUSKY Plan and the integration of such services, added new Subsec. (c) specifying thirteen elements Connecticut Community KidCare shall include, redesignated existing Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (d), substituting “Connecticut Community KidCare” for “integrated behavioral health service delivery system”, deleting reference to “combined” funding and training programs “on the systems of care approach”, adding in Subdiv. (1) language that Department of Social Services is the agency responsible for the administration of HUSKY Plan and substituting in Subdiv. (2) “with behavioral health needs” for “who are seriously emotionally disturbed”, deleted former Subsecs. (c) and (d), amended Subsec. (e) to require commissioners to also consult with the Commissioners of Public Health and Education, to substitute “Connecticut Community KidCare” for “the integrated behavioral health service delivery system”, to insert three new Subdiv. designators and add new language in Subdiv. (2) to maximize federal reimbursement and revenue and in Subdiv. (3) to ensure the coordination of care and funding among agencies, and amended Subsec. (f) to authorize commissioners to apply for any waiver amendments necessary, effective July 1, 2001; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9 revised effective date of June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-2 but without affecting this section; P.A. 03-19 made technical changes in Subsecs. (a) and (d), effective May 12, 2003; P.A. 06-196 made a technical change in Subsecs. (a), (d) and (e), effective June 7, 2006; pursuant to P.A. 07-73 “Commissioner of Mental Retardation” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Developmental Services”, effective October 1, 2007; P.A. 15-69 replaced references to HUSKY Plan, Part A and HUSKY Plan, Part B with “HUSKY A” and “HUSKY B”, respectively, in Subsecs. (a) and (d), replaced “HUSKY Plan” with “HUSKY Health program” in Subsecs. (b) and (d) and changed provision re notice publication from Connecticut Law Journal to department's web site and eRegulations System in Subsec. (a), effective June 19, 2015.