California Welfare and Institutions Code

§ 4096.5

WIC § 4096.5 Effective Jan 1, 2025Div. 4 · Part 1 · Ch. 3 · Art. 5

Statute text

(a)This section governs standards for the mental health program approval for short-term residential therapeutic programs, which is required under subdivision (c) of Section 1562.01 of the Health and Safety Code.

(b)All short-term residential therapeutic programs that serve children who have either been assessed as meeting the medical necessity criteria for Medi-Cal specialty mental health services, as provided for in Section 1830.205 or 1830.210 of Title 9 of the California Code of Regulations, or who have been assessed and diagnosed with a serious emotional disturbance as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 5600.3, shall obtain and have in good standing a mental health program approval and a Medi-Cal mental health certification, as described in Section 11462.01, issued by the State Department of Health Care Services or a county mental health plan to which the department has delegated approval authority. This approval, which is required pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 1562.01 of the Health and Safety Code, is a condition for receiving an Aid to Families with Dependent Children-Foster Care rate pursuant to Section 11462.01.

(c)(1) A short-term residential therapeutic program shall not directly provide specialty mental health services without a current mental health program approval. A licensed short-term residential therapeutic program that has not obtained a program approval shall provide children in its care access to appropriate mental health services.

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Legislative history

Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 948, Sec. 6. (AB 2119) Effective January 1, 2025.