Bill > SB1630

This bill establishes a new Home and Community-Based Service Program for adults in Arizona who are seriously mentally ill, aiming to provide an alternative to institutionalization by offering services like attendant care, behavioral health-focused adult day care, supervised community living, and medication administration, all coordinated by the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System Administration (AHCCCS). To be eligible, individuals must be diagnosed with a serious mental illness, meet a specific "serious mental illness level of care" based on behavioral, functional, and safety criteria (such as current court-ordered treatment, recent discharge from a facility, or documented safety risks), require these services to avoid placement in a behavioral health residential facility or psychiatric institution, and meet financial eligibility requirements, which allow for income up to 300% of the federal Supplemental Security Income benefit rate, with provisions for qualified income trusts. The program, which requires federal approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and is intended to begin implementation by July 1, 2028, will initially be capped at 500 members, with priority given to those under court orders, with guardians, recently discharged from facilities, or facing homelessness, and AHCCCS will provide quarterly updates on its progress and an annual report detailing program outcomes, costs, and utilization.

Budget and Finance, Health and Social Services

https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/85263