HB 2971

                                SECOND REGULAR SESSION
                   HOUSE BILL NO. 2971
                          103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
                         INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE HAUSMAN.
5334H.01I  JOSEPH ENGLER, Chief Clerk
                                           AN ACT
To amend chapters 208 and 630, RSMo, by adding thereto six new sections relating to
      services for persons with disabilities.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
        Section A. Chapters 208 and 630, RSMo, are amended by adding thereto six new
2 sections, to be known as sections 208.880, 208.882, 208.884, 630.465, 630.467, and 630.469,
3 to read as follows:
        208.880. The department of social services and the department of mental health
2 shall jointly report to the general assembly on whether systems used to administer MO
3 HealthNet benefits and waiver services for persons with intellectual and developmental
4 disabilities are interoperable and allow for the secure electronic exchange of application
5 materials and the use of electronic signatures. If the systems are not interoperable and
6 no plans have been made to implement interoperability, the departments shall include
7 an estimate of the funding required to implement interoperability.
        208.882. The MO HealthNet division shall ensure its durable medical equipment
2 provider directory is filterable by the type of supplies or equipment a provider is
3 authorized to furnish. The directory shall be made available in both paper and
4 electronic form. The MO HealthNet division shall mail a filtered list to any person upon
5 request. MO HealthNet division staff shall inform any person who calls the division to
6 inquire about durable medical equipment that the directory is available online and that
7 a filtered list is available to be mailed upon request.
        208.884. The MO HealthNet division, in coordination with the department of
2 mental health, shall develop a public-facing dashboard that allows persons with
EXPLANATION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is
intended to be omitted from the law. Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language.
HB 2971  2
3 intellectual and developmental disabilities or their caregivers to track their status in
4 application, review, appeal, or waiver processes. The dashboard shall include a clearly
5 identified point of contact responsible for assisting users who encounter delays or
6 barriers.
          630.465. 1. The division of developmental disabilities of the department of
2 mental health shall issue regular guidance, no less than quarterly, to all targeted case
3 management entities contracting with the division regarding waitlist procedures,
4 eligibility standards, and required communication with families.
52. The division shall establish a public reporting mechanism for families or
6 individuals to report instances in which they were incorrectly informed that they were
7 on a waitlist or that no funding was available. Upon verifying that a targeted case
8 management entity provided incorrect information as described in this subsection, the
9 division:
10(1) For the first occurrence, shall provide a written warning and require staff
11 retraining within thirty days;
12(2) For the second occurrence, shall issue a notice of deficiency; and
13(3) For the third or subsequent occurrence, may impose suspension, revocation,
14 or nonrenewal of the entity's targeted case management contract.
          630.467. 1. All denial notices, appeal documents, and cover letters issued by the
2 division of developmental disabilities of the department of mental health or any of its
3 regional offices shall be written in plain language. Each notice shall provide the specific
4 title, telephone number, and email address of the staff member to contact, along with
5 clear instructions for filing an appeal. The division shall review and update the
6 materials annually.
72. The division shall apply trauma-informed principles in the design of service
8 access processes, forms, websites, and communication practices. The division may
9 consult qualified entities to fulfill this requirement.
          630.469. The division of developmental disabilities of the department of mental
2 health shall provide, in all reports to the general assembly, separate counts of persons on
3 a waiver waitlist, an interest list, or any other internal list used to track requests for
4 services. Each category shall be defined and explained.
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