March 20, 2017
Two-decade old legal battle over special education oversight nears resolution, brings major changes – EdSource
"The California Department of Education said last week that it will comply with a federal court order to improve significantly its system for monitoring special education, after years of legal maneuvering to block the changes....
The changes in monitoring come as California is taking steps to address a root concern about special education services statewide: why many students with...
February 16, 2017
DHCS Publishes New LEA Billing FAQs
As a follow-up from the Fall 2016 LEA Billing DHCS training held last October, DHCS has released a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) and answers on various program policies.
Below, we've included a handful of questions and answers from the document that LEAs may find particularly interesting, specifically regarding:
RMTS for LEA Billing
Free Care (Non-IEP) Service Billing
...
December 16, 2014
Huge Win for School Medicaid Programs as CMS Changes Restrictive Free Care Policy
The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services (CMS) has issued a letter to all State Medicaid Directors withdrawing their prior guidance on the free care policy, Medicaid Payment for Services Provided without Charge (Free Care). This is welcome and exciting news for school districts that participate in their state's school-based Medicaid billing program, many of whom have been waiting...
November 5, 2014
2014-15 California County Scorecard by Children Now
The 2014-15 California County Scorecard of Children's Well-Being tracks 29 key Education, Health, and Child Welfare and Economic Well-Being indicators in California, across 58 counties, over time, and by race and ethnicity.
By providing a robust snapshot of children’s well-being, the Scorecard encourages the discovery of best practices, fosters collaboration, and supports action by...
August 11, 2014
Report: Kansas Improperly Claimed $10.7M in Medicaid Reimbursements
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas improperly billed Medicaid for nearly $11 million in school-based health services, a government watchdog has found.
In a report released Monday, the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services determined that Kansas received $10.75 million in unallowable reimbursements for services provided during the one-year period from July 1, 2009,...
July 29, 2014
Report Highlights Importance of School-Based Administrative Activities
As we featured earlier this week on the Policy Center, a new report by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research has found that 70% of children in California with mental health needs never end up receiving treatment. While this number is astounding so too is the fact that more than 90% of these children had health insurance.
The report concludes by stating that the data suggests there are...
July 25, 2014
Most California Children with Mental Illness Do Not Receive Treatment
While hundreds of thousands of California children have mental health needs, about 70% never receive treatment, according to a policy brief released Thursday by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, KPCC's "KPCC News" reports (Florido, "KPCC News," KPCC, 7/24).
The brief was based on data from the 2007 and 2009 California Health Interview Survey.
Study Findings
Researchers found that...
May 21, 2014
California and Its Counties Under the ACA
As California moves to implement the ACA, it is making major health program, policy, and fiscal changes that will transform the way the state and its 58 counties share responsibilities for the health of Californians.
To help policymakers and stakeholders better understand the state-county partnership and prepare for the changes, this issue brief provides a leadership framework to assess the...
May 21, 2014
A Little Investment Goes a Long Way: Modest Cost to Expand Preventive and Routine Health Services to All Low-Income Californians
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has expanded health coverage to millions of Californians and has improved coverage for millions more, but between 2.7 and 3.4 million Californians under age 65 are predicted to still remain uninsured by 2019, after the ACA is fully implemented. Of those predicted to remain uninsured, almost half — between 1.4 and 1.5 million — are ineligible for federal coverage...
May 19, 2014
Health Coverage and Care for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System: The Role of Medicaid and CHIP
Girls and boys in the juvenile justice system are a diverse group of young people with often complex health needs. Many are from low-income families of color, have suffered abuse, were involved in the foster care system, and may require comprehensive and ongoing physical, reproductive, mental, and behavioral health services upon discharge from juvenile justice residential facilities. The provision...