| TO: | Honorable Jane Nelson, Chair, Senate Committee on Health & Human Services |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB1630 by Naishtat (Relating to the eligibility of certain individuals for child health plan coverage or medical assistance on release from certain facilities or other settings.), As Engrossed |
The bill requires the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to enter into memoranda of understanding with the Texas Youth Commission (TYC) and the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission (TJPC) to ensure that individuals committed, placed, or detained under Title 3, Family Code, are assessed for eligibility for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) before release from commitment, placement, or detention; local juvenile probation departments would be subject to the requirements of the memorandum. Each memorandum would be required to be tailored to achieve the goal of ensuring that individuals determined eligible for Medicaid or CHIP be enrolled in the appropriate program and begin receiving services as soon as possible after the eligibility determination is made and, if possible, to achieve the goal of ensuring that individuals begin receiving those services on the date of release from commitment, placement, or detention. HHSC would be required to enter into the memorandum of understanding with TYC no later than October 1, 2009 and with TJPC no later than February 1, 2010. If federal legislation is enacted and becomes law, or federal regulations, rules, or other administrative guidelines are adopted authorizing the state to implement streamlined procedures applicable to assessments of these individuals for Medicaid or CHIP, HHSC would be required to implement those procedures as soon as practicable.
HHSC, TYC, and TJPC indicate no significant fiscal impact from the requirements to enter into memoranda of understanding. To the extent that the requirements of the bill increase enrollment in Medicaid or CHIP, there would be a cost to provide services to additional clients. The fiscal impact of increased caseload cannot be determined; however, it is assumed that the number of children impacted would be small and the cost minimal.
| Source Agencies: | 529 Health and Human Services Commission, 665 Juvenile Probation Commission, 694 Youth Commission
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| LBB Staff: | JOB, CL, LR
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