Joint Budget Committee. The bill makes several changes to the
current child welfare system, including:
•
Ensuring that out-of-home placements in the division of youth services align with the requirements of the federal Family First Prevention Services Act to qualify for Title
IV-E reimbursement for such placements;
•
Ensuring appropriate capacity for out-of-home placements in Colorado;
•
Authorizing a county to negotiate rates above the base anchor rates established by the state department with licensed out-of-home placement providers serving children in higher acuity cases;
•
Requiring the department of human services (department) to contract with a vendor to update the existing actuarial analysis to include division of youth services out-of-home placement providers and new out-of-home placement provider options under federal law, and to update and fully implement the existing rate methodology with the updated provider rates by September 30, 2021;
•
Commencing with the 2022-23 fiscal year, requiring the department to contract with an independent vendor every 3 years to conduct a new actuarial analysis of all provider rates for licensed out-of-home placement providers, including the division of youth services providers, to update the rate-setting methodology to reflect the new actuarial analysis, and to implement any adjusted provider rates by July 1, 2024, and by July 1 of each fiscal year immediately following the fiscal year in which a new actuarial analysis results in adjusted rates; and
•
Requiring the use of a portion of the federal Family First Transition and Support Act funding to be used to support the transition of current providers to a placement option that meets the needs of the child or youth and maximizes federal Title IV-E and medicaid reimbursements.
The bill appropriates $250,000 to the department for use by the
child welfare division for provider rate actuarial services.
