Enrolled Bill Summary

            House Bill 1400 amends the Human Resources Code to continue the Texas Commission for the Blind until 2011. The act directs the commission to establish guidelines for the delivery of services. It also directs the commission to establish written procedures for the evaluation of services to provide guidance to counselors and staff. The act requires the commission to establish the income level that would trigger Medicaid eligibility for applicants for its children's program services and to verify Medicaid eligibility for these clients, and it establishes the confidentiality of these clients' records. The act requires the commission to establish a rate-setting methodology for all medical services, to compare proposed rates to Medicare and Medicaid rates, to document why any rate exceeds the Medicare and Medicaid rates, and to establish a schedule for the periodic reevaluation of rates. It directs the commission to include provisions in its service provider contracts regarding performance standards, penalties for nonperformance, and accounting, reporting, and auditing requirements and to monitor the performance of service providers. It requires commission contracts with suppliers of adaptive technology equipment to include provisions that require the supplier to provide training for clients in the use of the equipment.

            The act authorizes the commission to obtain criminal history information for a person applying for employment with the commission. It requires the commission to post the commission report on the Internet, after removing confidential information. It also includes standard sunset provisions that are applied to all agencies.