H.618
AN ACT RELATING TO SERVICES FOR TRANSITIONAL YOUTH
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State
of
Sec. 1. LEGISLATIVE INTENT
The general assembly finds that
the services provided to youths ages 18–22 who are transitioning from state
custody to adulthood are insufficient and do not support youths in becoming
self-sufficient adults. It is the intent of the general assembly to
provide necessary and essential transitional services to these youths up to age
22 to assist them in becoming self-sufficient adults.
Sec. 2. 33 V.S.A. § 1901(d) and (e) are added to read:
(d) The agency of human
services shall adopt rules and procedures pursuant to chapter 25 of Title 3 for
automatically assessing any child whose eligibility for Medicaid, a Medicaid
waiver program, or Dr. Dynasaur is threatened to
determine whether the child is eligible under a different eligibility category
or public health care program and for completing such assessment in time to
avoid interruption in the child’s coverage.
(e) The secretary of human
services shall adopt or amend regulations to ensure, to the extent permitted
under federal law, that a college student taking medical leave who applies for
VHAP or another Medicaid waiver program has his or her eligibility determined
on the basis of the student's income only, and not the parent's income, even if
the student receives room and board from his or her parents. If
necessary, the agency shall seek an amendment to the Global Commitment to
Health Medicaid Section 1115 waiver to modify eligibility for this group.
Sec. 3. COORDINATION OF INITIATIVES; TRANSITIONAL YOUTHS
The department for children and
families shall assess what efforts, task forces, and initiatives are being
undertaken in government, the judiciary, communities, and other public or
private groups on issues relating to youths ages 18–22 who
are transitioning from state custody. The department shall develop a plan
for coordinating these efforts on transitional youths, shall combine the
recommendations from the task forces on youth issues related to the judiciary,
foster care, and higher education, and shall report those recommendations to
the house committee on human services and the senate committee on health and
welfare no later than January 15, 2007. The department’s plans and
recommendations shall be consistent with the policy expressed in Sec. 1 of this
act.
Sec. 4. TRANSITIONAL YOUTHS; SERVICES STUDY
(a) The agency of human
services, in consultation with the department of education, shall analyze
current law and regulation regarding Medicaid eligibility for young adults ages
18–22 and shall report on the following:
(1) current
Medicaid eligibility requirements;
(2) how
the state currently administers Medicaid for youths, including the type of
outreach that has been done to assure a full opportunity for enrollment;
(3) an
estimate of the percentage of eligible youths who are enrolled;
(4) additional options
available to increase access to Medicaid coverage for all categories of
potentially eligible youths over the age of 18, including but not limited to
the developmentally disabled youths who are not in custody, and the cost of
each option;
(5) the
cost of extending health care coverage through Medicaid, the
(b) The agency of human
services shall study the costs and benefits of providing necessary and
essential transitional services up to age 22 for a youth who has been in the
custody of the state; has a developmental disability and has been receiving
state‑funded services or services under an individualized education
program (IEP) on the youth’s 18th birthday; or has been receiving state‑funded
services for severe emotional disturbance on his or her 18th birthday in
order to assist the youth in becoming a self-sufficient adult.
(c) The agency of human
services shall study the costs and benefits to families whose child reaches the
age of majority and attends a postsecondary education or training program of
continuing Reach Up assistance under chapter 11 of Title 33 while the child is
a full-time student. The study shall include a financial analysis, the
feasibility of using TANF funds for this purpose, and any other issues relating
to the use of federal funds for this purpose.
(d) The reports under this
section shall be provided to the senate committee on health and welfare and the
house committee on human services no later than January 15, 2007.
Sec. 5. OUTREACH
The office of
Sec. 6. VHAP ELIGIBILITY RULES
The secretary shall, as
reasonably necessary, clarify all regulations concerning VHAP eligibility for
college students, either through amended regulations or issuance of
interpretive bulletins