| TO: | Honorable Lois W. Kolkhorst, Chair, House Committee on Public Health |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | SB705 by Nelson (Relating to long-term care consumer information and Medicaid waiver programs.), Committee Report 2nd House, Substituted |
| Fiscal Year | Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds |
|---|---|
| 2010 | $206,021 |
| 2011 | $224,750 |
| 2012 | $224,750 |
| 2013 | $224,750 |
| 2014 | $224,750 |
| Fiscal Year | Probable Savings/(Cost) from General Revenue Fund 1 |
Probable Savings/(Cost) from Federal Funds 555 |
Change in Number of State Employees from FY 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | $206,021 | $206,021 | (7.0) |
| 2011 | $224,750 | $224,750 | (7.0) |
| 2012 | $224,750 | $224,750 | (7.0) |
| 2013 | $224,750 | $224,750 | (7.0) |
| 2014 | $224,750 | $224,750 | (7.0) |
The bill would implement recommendations in the report, "Eliminate the Medicaid Consolidated Waiver Program and Transfer Clients to Other Existing Programs," in the Legislative Budget Board's Government Effectiveness and Efficiency Report submitted to the Eighty-first Texas Legislature, 2009.
The bill would amend Subchapter D of the Human Resources Code to require the Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS), in consultation with the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), to streamline the administration and delivery of services provided through Medicaid long-term care waiver programs.
The bill would abolish the Consolidated Waiver Program under Section 531.0219 of the Government Code effective September 15, 2009. No later than September 14, 2009, DADS, with assistance from HHSC, is required to determine the Medicaid long-term care waiver program that Consolidated Waiver Program clients are eligible for and transfer these clients without any break in service from the Consolidated Waiver Program to an appropriate Medicaid long-term care waiver program.
The bill would also amend the Government Code as it relates to long-term care consumer information
made available through the internet. Under the provisions of the bill, certain information pertaining to long-term care services would be required to be displayed on the internet site maintained by HHSC by January 1, 2010. The website maintained by DADS would also be required to include or provide a link to the required information. HHSC or DADS would also be required to, on request by a consumer without internet access, provide the consumer with a printed copy of the information from the website. HHSC and DADS are authorized to charge a reasonable fee for printing the information. HHSC would also be required to incorporate long-term care provider quality information reported through the DADS internet site, as well as other appropriate available information concerning the quality of services provided through the long-term care service delivery programs operated by DADS.
The bill would be effective immediately if it receives a two-thirds vote of each house; otherwise, the bill would be effective September 1, 2009.
The provisions of the bill related to abolishing the Consolidated Waiver Program would result in a savings of $412,042 in All Funds in fiscal year 2010 and a savings of $449,500 in All Funds per year in fiscal years 2011 through 2014. These savings include $334,355 in salary and benefits for 7 Full-Time Equivalents, $3,667 for travel expenses, and $74,020 in other operating expenses in fiscal year 2010, and $364,751 in salary and benefits for 7 Full-Time Equivalents, $4,000 for travel expenses, and $80,749 for other operating expenses for fiscal years 2011 through 2014.
It is assumed that any cost to implement the provisions of the bill related to streamlining the administration and delivery of services provided through Medicaid long-term care waiver programs or the provisions related to long-term care consumer information available through the interent could be handled with existing resources. It is assumed that the printing fee associated with providing consumers with printed website information would be minimal and set at an amount to cover only printing costs and that the fee amount would not have any significant impact on revenues.
| Source Agencies: | 529 Health and Human Services Commission, 539 Aging and Disability Services, Department of
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| LBB Staff: | JOB, CL, JI, DM
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