(a) (1) The department shall request any approval from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services it deems necessary for the use of fees pursuant to this article and for the purpose of receiving associated federal matching funds.

(2) In making that request, the department may seek, as it deems necessary, a request for waiver of the broad-based requirement, waiver of the uniformity requirement, or both, pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (e) of Section 433.68 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations, or a request for waiver of any other provisions of federal law or regulation necessary to implement this article.

(3) This article shall be implemented only to the extent that any necessary federal approvals are obtained and federal financial participation is available and is not otherwise jeopardized.

(b) The director may modify or make adjustments to any methodology, fee amount, or other provision specified in this article to the extent necessary to meet the requirements of federal law or regulations or to obtain federal approval. If the director, after consulting with affected emergency medical transport providers, determines that a modification is needed, the director shall execute a declaration stating that this determination has been made and that the actual or projected available fee amount for a state fiscal year remains approximately equal to the actual or projected aggregate fee schedule amount for each applicable state fiscal year, as defined by paragraph (4) of subdivision (b) of Section 14129.2. The director shall retain the declaration and provide a copy, within five working days of the execution of the declaration, to the fiscal and appropriate policy committees of the Legislature.

(c) The director may add categories of exempt emergency medical transport providers or apply a nonuniform fee per transport to emergency medical transport providers that are subject to the fee in order to meet requirements of federal law or regulations. The director may exempt categories of emergency medical transport providers from the fee if necessary to obtain federal approval.

(d) If, before June 1 preceding the start of an applicable state fiscal year, the director finds that the implementation of this article is likely no longer a benefit to the General Fund for the applicable state fiscal year, the director may decide to not implement this article for that state fiscal year. The director shall notify the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature, and emergency medical transport providers individually and via the department’s Internet Web site of its finding pursuant to this subdivision.

(Added by Stats. 2017, Ch. 773, Sec. 2. (SB 523) Effective October 13, 2017. Conditionally inoperative as prescribed in Section 14129.7. Repealed conditionally as provided in Section 14129.7.)