(a) It is the intent of the Legislature that the No Wrong Door System described in Section 9121 serve seniors and individuals with disabilities by doing all of the following:

(1) Providing consumers and their caregivers access to information and services, regardless of income or benefit level.

(2) Enabling an Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) program to directly connect a client to appropriate local programs.

(3) Providing each consumer in California with access to individualized support and community resources to meet their needs and to enable them to continue living in their own homes, if desired.

(b) The Aging and Disability Resource Connection Advisory Committee, which has been established within the California Department of Aging, shall serve as the primary adviser to the California Department of Aging, the Department of Rehabilitation, and the State Department of Health Care Services in the ongoing development and implementation of the No Wrong Door System described in Section 9121. The advisory committee may utilize staff of the California Department of Aging, as needed, to accomplish its purposes. The California Department of Aging shall expand the membership of the advisory committee as necessary to include the perspective of all relevant stakeholders.

(c) The Aging and Disability Resource Connection Advisory Committee shall, upon the request of the California Department of Aging, or any task force appointed thereunder for the purpose of developing and updating a master plan on aging, consult with and offer input regarding the development and updating of that master plan.

(d) The California Department of Aging, in consultation with the advisory committee, shall do all of the following:

(1) Develop a plan for, and oversee the phased statewide implementation of, the No Wrong Door System that utilizes the ADRC program to assist older adults and people with disabilities to obtain accurate information and timely referrals to appropriate community services and supports. The plan shall include near- and long-term tactics for statewide implementation.

(2) Serve as a statewide facilitator, coordinator, and policy development resource on the ADRC program and No Wrong Door System.

(3) Identify mainstream resources, benefits, and services that can be accessed for the No Wrong Door System.

(4) Create partnerships among state agencies and departments, local government agencies, the federal Administration for Community Living, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the federal Veterans Health Administration.

(5) Coordinate existing funding and applications for competitive funding, while also exploring avenues for future funding, including, but not limited to, Medicaid and federal Veterans Health Administration funding.

(6) Make policy and procedural recommendations to the Legislature and other governmental entities.

(7) Consider the expansion of the “no wrong door” approach to programs and policies outside of the California Health and Human Services Agency.

(8) (A) Report to the Governor and the Legislature on the No Wrong Door System and the implementation of the system.

(B) Reports to be submitted pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.

(e) The implementation of this section is contingent on an appropriation in the annual Budget Act, or another act, for that express purpose.

(Added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 850, Sec. 3. (SB 453) Effective January 1, 2020.)