The House Committee on Human Services has published their Interim Report to the 84th Legislature. See below for interim charges assigned to the committee and recommendations related to those charges:
Interim Charge I – Behavioral Health – Examine Crisis Resources for individuals with co-occurring mental illness and intellectual/developmental disabilities. Identify strategies to serve individuals with complex behavioral and medical needs in the community.
Recommendations:
- For purposes of uniformity and transparency across all state programs, including crisis services, HHSC should study the benefits and feasibility of developing and utilizing standard definitions for the terms “Developmental Disability” and “Related Condition”.
- HHSC should expand awareness and the use of trauma-informed care for persons with I/DD.
- LAs and LMHAs should whenever feasible integrate training and education for personnel providing intake services, assessments, service coordination and crisis services.
Interim Charge II – Foster Care Redesign – Monitor the implementation of Foster Care Redesign. Evaluate its impact on the child welfare system in areas of the state where redesign is underway, including transition from the legacy system, foster family retention and recruitment, placement stability, permanency, and child safety.
Recommendations:
- The state should remain committed to redesigning the paid foster care service delivery system, but the FCR rollout should be temporarily delayed pending further evaluation of available data, additional PPP input, and possible legislative direction.
- The PPP should play a primary role in developing data-based refinements to the FCR model prior to each subsequent rollout.
- Prior to each subsequent rollout, DFPS should ensure that all tasks and related FTEs to be transferred from DFPS to an SSCC are clearly identified, agreed upon and fully funded, including fringe expenses for transferred FTEs
- DFPS should work with the PPP to develop future FCR catchment areas to ensure existing community-based systems and provider bases are preserved and their potential maximized.
- DFPS should dedicate an appropriate number of personnel within the agency’s ombudsman division specifically assigned to address provider and consumer complaints, including allegations of abuse, within the paid foster care system.
- DFPS should continue the use of independent, third-party evaluation of FCR rollout until implementation is complete in one non-metropolitan catchment area and one large metropolitan catchment area.
- DFPS should set aside a portion of Federal Adoption Incentive dollars each budget cycle to be reinvested in sustaining adoptions by increasing the number of post-adoptive parent liaisons within each service region, focusing on those areas not currently served by a liaison.
Interim Charge Three – SB 7 (83R) – Monitor and evaluate implementation of SB 7 (83R), including agency preparations for the statewide rollout of STAR+PLUS.
Recommendations:
- It is the committee’s opinion that implementation of S.B. 7 should continue as planned using the timeline cited by HHSC and included with this report.
- This committee should continue to closely monitor the various managed care carve-ins required by S.B.7, and any resulting impact to service delivery.
- HHSC should require participating STAR+PLUS MCOs to adhere to network adequacy standards that to the greatest extent possible align with Medicare Advantage standards.
- HHSC should implement a single portal for provider claims submission and work with providers to decrease unnecessary paper-based claims.
- HHSC should work to increase its efforts to solicit and consider relevant stakeholder input as specifically called for in S.B. 7.
Interim Charge Four – Foster Care/Highed Education – Former foster youth have the benefit of free tuition and fees if they enroll in higher education, yet very few take advantage of this opportunity. Consider new strategies to support these youth and make recommendations to enroll and retain more foster youth in higher education. (Joint charge with the House Committee on Higher Education)
Recommendations:
- THECB should implement a mechanism in the state’s common application for higher education for students to self-identify as former foster care youth so that institutions of higher education can inform them of their right to the exemption.
- The collaborative model between DFPS, TEA and other stakeholders for the K-12 foster youth population should be broadened to include postsecondary education stakeholders, including the THECB.
- DFPS should work collaboratively with stakeholders to implement a training program specifically designed to assist foster parents in navigating the state’s public higher education system.
- Colleges and universities should develop volunteer mentorship programs using former foster youths to support incoming students participating in the tuition and fee waiver program.
- DFPS and the THECB should collaborate to create a mechanism for tracking the outcomes of current and former foster youth who utilize the tuition and fee waiver.
Interim Charge Five – Implementation of 83rd Legislation – Conduct legislative oversight and monitoring of the agencies and programs under the committee’s jurisdiction, including implementation of the Balancing Incentives Program and relevant legislation passed by the 83rd Legislature. In conducting this oversight, the committee should:
- consider any reforms to state agencies to make them more responsive to Texas taxpayers and citizens;
- identify issues regarding the agency or its governance that may be appropriate to investigate, improve, remedy, or eliminate;
- determine whether an agency is operating in a transparent and efficient manner; and
- identify opportunities to streamline programs and services while maintaining the mission of the agency and its programs.
Recommendations:
- The committee supports the recommended due process and transparency reforms impacting the HHSC Office of Inspector General unanimously adopted by the Sunset Commission at its December 10, 2014 public meeting.