Bill > SF4698

This bill modifies the Community First Services and Supports (CFSS) program, which provides services and supports to individuals with disabilities and chronic health conditions to live independently in their communities. Key provisions include increasing the required surety bond amounts for CFSS agency-providers and consultation services providers to protect against fraud and ensure financial stability, and requiring these providers to report changes in the employment status of support workers and individuals providing worker training and development to the state. The bill also clarifies the process for developing CFSS service delivery plans, mandates that agency-providers and FMS providers (Financial Management Services providers, which handle payroll and taxes for support workers) pay support workers based on actual hours worked and training costs, and introduces new requirements for agency-providers regarding initial operating capital and self-auditing policies. Additionally, it establishes a six-month notification requirement for support workers who leave their employment and a 30-day notification requirement for individuals providing worker training and development when they cease their services, and allows for exemptions from consultation services under specific circumstances for participants receiving CFSS services from an agency-provider. Finally, the bill mandates that managed care and county-based purchasing plans cannot impose requirements on CFSS services that are more restrictive than those set by the state regarding service authorization, provider identifiers, claims submission, and daily documentation, with this provision taking effect on January 1, 2027.