(a) The Commissioners of Social Services, Children and Families, and Mental Health and Addiction Services shall develop and implement an integrated behavioral health service system for HUSKY Health program members and children enrolled in the voluntary services program operated by the Department of Children and Families and may, at the discretion of the commissioners, include other children, adolescents and families served by the Department of Children and Families or the Court Support Services Division of the Judicial Branch. The integrated behavioral health service system shall be known as the Behavioral Health Partnership. The Behavioral Health Partnership shall seek to increase access to quality behavioral health services by: (1) Expanding individualized, family-centered and community-based services;(2) maximizing federal revenue to fund behavioral health services; (3) reducing unnecessary use of institutional and residential services for children and adults; (4) capturing and investing enhanced federal revenue and savings derived from reduced residential services and increased community-based services for HUSKY A and B recipients;(5) improving administrative oversight and efficiencies; and (6) monitoring individual outcomes and provider performance, taking into consideration the acuity of the patients served by each provider, and overall program performance.

(b) The Behavioral Health Partnership shall operate in accordance with the financial requirements specified in this subsection. Prior to the conversion of any grant-funded services to a rate-based, fee-for-service payment system, the Department of Social Services, the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services shall submit documentation verifying that the proposed rates seek to cover the reasonable cost of providing services to the Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight Council, established pursuant to section 17a-22j.

(P.A. 05-280, S. 92; P.A. 10-43, S. 10; 10-119, S. 1; P.A. 13-234, S. 105, 118; P.A. 15-69, S. 12.)

History: P.A. 05-280 effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 10-43 amended Subsec. (a) to authorize inclusion of children, adolescents and families served by Court Support Services Division of Judicial Branch and make a technical change, effective May 18, 2010; P.A. 10-119 amended Subsec. (a) by adding Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services re development and implementation of system, by providing that Medicaid recipients who are not enrolled in HUSKY Plan, Part A and Charter Oak Health Plan members may be included in system at discretion of commissioners and by making conforming and technical changes and amended Subsec. (b) by adding Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services re submission of proposed rate documentation, effective June 7, 2010; P.A. 13-234 amended Subsec. (a) to add provision re Medicaid members and delete provision re HUSKY Plan Part A members, effective July 1, 2013; and further amended Subsec. (a) to delete provision re Charter Oak Health Plan members and make conforming changes, effective January 1, 2014; P.A. 15-69 amended Subsec. (a) to change “Medicaid and HUSKY Plan Part B” to “HUSKY Health program” and “HUSKY Plan Parts A and B” to “HUSKY A and B”, effective June 19, 2015.