§1208. Agreements with community agencies

1.  Definitions.  As used in this section, unless the context indicates otherwise, the following terms have the following meanings.

A. "Agreement" means a legally binding document between 2 parties, including documents commonly referred to as accepted application, proposal, prospectus, contract, grant, joint or cooperative agreement, purchase of service or state aid.   [PL 1983, c. 459, §7 (NEW).]

B. "Community agency" means a person, a public or private nonprofit organization or a firm, partnership or business corporation operated for profit, which operates a human service program at the community level.   [PL 1983, c. 459, §7 (NEW).]

C. "Funds" means any and all general funds, dedicated funds, fees, special revenue funds, 3rd party reimbursements, vendor payments or other funds available for expenditure by the department in support of the provision of a human service.   [PL 1983, c. 459, §7 (NEW).]

D. "Human service" means any children's community action, corrections, criminal justice, developmental disability, donated food, education, elderly, food stamp, income maintenance, health, juvenile, law enforcement, legal, medical care, mental health, child and adult developmental, poverty, public assistance, rehabilitation, social, substance use disorder, transportation, welfare or youth service operated by a community agency under an agreement financially supporting the service, wholly or in part, by funds authorized for expenditure by the department.   [PL 2017, c. 407, Pt. A, §156 (AMD).]

E. "Nonprofit organization" means any agency, institution or organization which is, or is owned and operated by, one or more corporations or associations, no part of the net earnings of which inures, or may lawfully inure, to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual and which has a territory of operations that may extend to a neighborhood, community, region or the State.   [PL 1983, c. 459, §7 (NEW).]

F. "Public" means municipal, county and other governmental bodies which are political subdivisions within the State.   [PL 1983, c. 459, §7 (NEW).]

G. "State agency client" has the same meaning as in Title 20-A, section 1, subsection 34-A.   [PL 1985, c. 789, §§7, 9 (NEW).]

H. "Service provider" means a community agency providing services for children with mental health needs, intellectual disabilities or autism.   [PL 2011, c. 542, Pt. A, §63 (AMD).]

[PL 2017, c. 407, Pt. A, §156 (AMD).]

2.  Commissioner's powers.  The commissioner may disburse funds to a community agency for the purpose of financially supporting a human service, only if the disbursement is covered by a written agreement between the department and the agency, specifying at least the following:

A. The human service to be provided by the community agency;   [PL 1983, c. 459, §7 (NEW).]

B. The method of payment by the department to the community agency; and   [PL 1983, c. 459, §7 (NEW).]

C. The criteria for monitoring and evaluating the performance of the community agency in the provision of the human service.   [PL 1983, c. 459, §7 (NEW).]

[PL 1983, c. 459, §7 (NEW).]

3.  Commissioner's duties.  The commissioner's duties are as follows.

A. The commissioner shall promulgate rules consistent with and necessary for the effective administration of this section.   [PL 1983, c. 459, §7 (NEW).]

B. When making agreements with community agencies for the provision of a human service, the commissioner shall use agreement forms and shall develop uniform procedures.   [PL 1983, c. 459, §7 (NEW).]

C. When disbursing funds pursuant to an agreement, the commissioner shall require uniform accounts payable forms or uniform supporting documentation and information.   [PL 1983, c. 459, §7 (NEW).]

D. When accounting for funds disbursed under an agreement, the commissioner shall use uniform accounting principles, policies and procedures.   [PL 1983, c. 459, §7 (NEW).]

[PL 1983, c. 459, §7 (NEW).]

4.  Payment for state agency clients.  The commissioner shall authorize payment of approved mental health treatment costs for state agency clients who are placed for educational purposes in an in-state residential treatment center, as identified in Title 20-A, section 1, subsection 24-A, paragraph D, subparagraph (3), to the extent of the amount of funds appropriated by the Legislature for this purpose; and may authorize payment of mental health treatment costs for similar placements in out-of-state residential placements on a case-by-case basis, within the limits of available funds. The commissioner shall further authorize payment of approved board and care and mental health treatment costs for state agency clients who are placed for other than educational purposes in any residential placement, as defined in Title 20-A, section 1, subsection 24-A, to the extent of the funds appropriated by the Legislature for this purpose. Payments that the commissioner is required to authorize under this section may not exceed the funds appropriated by the Legislature for the purposes referred to in this subsection. Payment from these funds must be made only when other appropriate state or federal funds to which the department has access have been exhausted.

[PL 1995, c. 560, Pt. K, §20 (AMD).]

5.  Annual report.  The Department of Health and Human Services shall prepare an annual report on all services contracted with community providers. The department shall deliver its report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over appropriations and financial affairs by January 31st of each year. The report shall include:

A. A listing, by community agency, of all funds received from the State and a summary of the purposes for which those funds were expended;   [PL 1989, c. 167, §2 (NEW).]

B. A summary of the most recent year's allocations of all funds by bureau, division or office, service area, region and, if available, county;   [PL 1993, c. 410, Pt. CCC, §12 (AMD).]

C. An evaluation of additional funding needed to equalize funding among all regions by individual service areas, presented in prioritized order;   [PL 1989, c. 167, §2 (NEW).]

D. The department's assessment, by individual service area, of the outstanding service needs of the State. The assessment shall identify the funding source projected by the department to be available for the expansion of service, presented in prioritized order; and   [PL 1989, c. 167, §2 (NEW).]

E. Recommendations for changes in funding resulting from the department's planning and evaluation system presented in the following order of priority: greatest service need within existing funding scheme; equalization of regional funding with each service area; and new or outstanding needs.   [PL 1989, c. 167, §2 (NEW).]

[PL 1993, c. 410, Pt. CCC, §12 (AMD); PL 1995, c. 560, Pt. K, §82 (AMD); PL 1995, c. 560, Pt. K, §83 (AFF); PL 2001, c. 354, §3 (AMD); PL 2003, c. 689, Pt. B, §6 (REV).]

6.  Rules.

A. [PL 2007, c. 539, Pt. N, §64 (RP).]

B. [PL 2007, c. 539, Pt. N, §64 (RP).]

C. [PL 2007, c. 539, Pt. N, §64 (RP).]

[PL 2007, c. 539, Pt. N, §64 (RP).]

7.  Community agency staff retention.  The commissioner shall, through contracts and service agreements with community agencies, provide funding to retain qualified direct-care workers employed by community services agencies providing services for children and adults with intellectual disabilities or autism.

[PL 2011, c. 542, Pt. A, §64 (AMD).]

8.  Fees.  By July 1, 2004, the department shall adopt rules to require that contracts and service agreements with service providers require service providers to charge fees for certain services for children and families funded through grant funds from the department. Respite, outpatient, case management and home-based family services are subject to fees under this subsection. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. The following provisions apply to the rules and to the imposition of fees under the rules.

A. A fee scale must be established by the department on a sliding scale on the basis of household income, determined after consultation with the Department of Human Services, Bureau of Family Independence with reference to the federal nonfarm income official poverty line, and take into account the number of children with special needs within a household who are receiving services from the department and whether the family pays very high health care expenses.   [PL 2003, c. 673, Pt. SSS, §2 (NEW).]

B. The fee scale under paragraph A must be developed after consultation with service providers, consumers and advocates for service providers and consumers. As appropriate to the child, family and service, the fee scale must apply to all service providers and supersedes previous service provider fee schedules.   [PL 2003, c. 673, Pt. SSS, §2 (NEW).]

C. The fee scale under paragraph A may not require fees from families below 250% of the federal nonfarm income official poverty line and must require families above 450% of the federal nonfarm income official poverty line to pay 100% of the cost of services provided by service providers. The fee scale must include fees of 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of the cost of services.   [PL 2003, c. 673, Pt. SSS, §2 (NEW).]

D. Service providers must be allowed to require payment of fees at the time that services are provided, to suspend services for nonpayment of fees and to retain all fees collected. Service providers must be required to provide an accounting to the department of fees charged and administrative expenses incurred in billing and collecting fees and of fees retained.   [PL 2003, c. 673, Pt. SSS, §2 (NEW).]

[PL 2003, c. 673, Pt. SSS, §2 (NEW).]

SECTION HISTORY

PL 1983, c. 459, §7 (NEW). PL 1985, c. 789, §§7-9 (AMD). PL 1987, c. 349, §H19 (AMD). PL 1989, c. 41 (AMD). PL 1989, c. 167, §2 (AMD). PL 1989, c. 432 (AMD). PL 1993, c. 410, §CCC12 (AMD). PL 1995, c. 560, §§K20,82 (AMD). PL 1995, c. 560, §K83 (AFF). PL 1999, c. 401, §SS1 (AMD). PL 1999, c. 401, §SS4 (AFF). PL 2001, c. 354, §3 (AMD). PL 2003, c. 673, §§SSS1,2 (AMD). PL 2003, c. 689, §B6 (REV). PL 2007, c. 539, Pt. N, §64 (AMD). PL 2011, c. 542, Pt. A, §§62-64 (AMD). PL 2017, c. 407, Pt. A, §156 (AMD).