1115 Waiver Behavioral Health Services Needs Assessment and Service Plan

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The purpose of this section is to bring you up to date on the development of the Behavioral Health Service Plan (Service Plan). Per agreement between the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), DHCS submitted the Service Plan Outline to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) on October 1, 2012, and update on April 1, 2013 to satisfy the due dates listed in paragraph 23.d of the Bridge to Reform 1115 Demonstration Special Terms and Conditions (STCs) and will submit a revised Services Plan by October 1, 2013. DHCS greatly appreciates the flexibility that CMS has provided in allowing the submission of the Plan Outline on October 1, 2012, and now an agreement to submit the final Plan on or before October 1, 2013.

The finalized Service Plan will describe California’s recommendations for serving the Medi-Cal expansion population and demonstrate the State’s readiness to meet the mental health and substance use disorder needs of this population.

In communications with CMS regarding the new October date, DHCS has indicated the Department will require several months to further consult with stakeholders, analyze options and make decisions critical to the development and finalizing of the Service Plan.

Once the draft plan has been distributed, DHCS will engage stakeholders and will welcome any comments or suggestions to the email address below as we continue to finalize the document.

Questions and Comments

Please forward any questions or comments related to the DRAFT Service Plan to 1115BehavioralHealthAssessment@dhcs.ca.gov.

Thank you for your continued interest and involvement in this important effort to ensure that California is ready to serve the behavioral health needs of the Medi-Cal expansion population on January 1, 2014.