House committee approves human services policy bill addressing fraud, mental health care

Several fraud-related measures are included in the omnibus human services policy bill.

HF2115 would create new penalties for kickbacks and establish criminal violations of human services programs. It would also create a separate Direct Care and Treatment agency, prohibit county governments from charging for emergency services provided to clients experiencing emotional crisis or mental illness, and codify the school district behavioral health grant program.

The House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee heard a quick walkthrough of the delete-all amendment, which was subsequently amended, and approved the package on a voice vote Thursday, sending it to the House Floor.

“This bill is a combination of the work of this committee throughout the year,” said Rep. Joe Schomacker (R-Luverne), the bill sponsor. “We did it on a very bipartisan basis. The things that we were able to agree to we put into this bill so that we can continue to get a lot of good things done.”

There was no public testimony or other member discussion.

[MORE: Submitted written testimony]

The bill would also:

• establish a review process upon notice of agency denial, reduction, suspension, or termination of long-term services and supports;
• exempt assisted living providers from direct care staff compensation requirements under the Disability Waiver Rate System;
• provide residents of long-term care facilities with the right to a designated support person;
• prohibit termination or non-renewal of assisted living contracts on certain grounds;
• replace a required special review board hearing with a judicial appeal panel hearing and review when committed individuals in the Minnesota Sex Offender Program petition for a reduction in custody;
• add post-traumatic stress disorder to serious and persistent mental illness for purposes of case management and community support services;
• specify that co-payments, coinsurance, and deductibles do not apply to mobile crisis intervention or crisis assessment services;
• expand definition of “child” to include individuals up to age 21 receiving children’s mental health targeted case management services;
• exclude weekends and holidays from mental health diagnostic assessment 10-day timeline;
• expand the Health Care Bill of Rights to include patients in children’s residential and nonresidential Substance Use Disorder treatment, Intensive Residential Treatment Services or residential crisis stabilization, and withdrawal management programs; and
• require peer recovery support services be provided one-on-one and face-to-face, including via the internet.