Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Claire Cunningham, Director of Human Services Agency
Christina Corpus, Sheriff
Louise F. Rogers, Chief, San Mateo County Health
Michael del Rosario, Director, Correctional Health
John Keene, Chief, Probation Department
Subject: Agreement between San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, Correctional Health Services, Juvenile Probation and Human Services Agency for the California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) Initiative for Justice-Involved Individuals
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution authorizing:
A) The designation of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department as entities to act on behalf of incarcerated individuals in County facilities with pre-release applications for Health Coverage, known as Medi-Cal, and inform the Human Services Agency of incarceration dates and release dates in order to suspend Medi-Cal if already active and re-activate coverage upon release; and
B) A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the County of San Mateo Sheriff’s Office, Correctional Health Services, Juvenile Probation, and Human Services Agency establishing guidelines for the provision of the California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) pre-release mandate for justice-involved individuals.
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BACKGROUND:
As part of California’s implementation of the CalAIM (California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal) as codified by Assembly Bill 133 (Chapter 143, Statutes of 2021) initiative which took effect on January 1, 2023, California is taking significant steps to address poor health outcomes among justice-involved individuals. A key element to the CalAIM initiative is ensuring continuity of coverage after incarceration. To accomplish this, the applications should be completed and processed at least 135 days before release, when the incarcerated person’s release date is known. At least 80% of justice-involved individuals are eligible for Medi-Cal according to the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). CalAIM has the potential to make a significant difference in the health of this population.
On July 15, 2014, the Board of Supervisors designated Correctional Health Services as the entity to act on behalf of individuals incarcerated in County facilities with applications for the Medi-Cal Inmate Eligibility Program (MCIEP) health insurance affordability programs. This new resolution would identify the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department as the primary designated entities to assist incarcerated individuals with their applications for publicly subsidized health insurance programs and engage in collaboration with the Human Services Agency to send applications for processing in addition to identifying incarceration and release dates for said individuals active on Medi-Cal. Correctional Health Services would continue to be a partner in the new CalAIM process and continue to assist by submitting Medi-Cal applications on behalf of incarcerated individuals as needed.
DISCUSSION:
The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, the Human Services Agency, Correctional Health Services, and the Probation Department have together designed a process to pursue Medi-Cal eligibility for any incarcerated person in need of health coverage and to communicate when benefits are activated, suspended or unsuspended. CalAIM allows the County Board of Supervisors to designate a county entity to act on incarcerated persons’ behalf for the purposes of completing a Medi-Cal application. Specifically, this provision allows designated County staff to provide necessary demographic information and assist in completing a Medi-Cal application with the incarcerated individual or sign on behalf of the incarcerated person when they are not able to complete the process on their own. The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, the Probation Department, Correctional Health Services, and the Human Services Agency agree that the Sheriff’s Office and the Probation Department are best suited to perform these responsibilities for incarcerated adults and juveniles, respectively, and staff from the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and the Probation Department will work closely with the Human Services Agency to screen and enroll incarcerated adults and juveniles in Medi-Cal. As such, our four agencies are requesting that the Board designate the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department as the primary entities to assist with submitting the Medi-Cal pre-release applications in adherence to the CalAIM initiative.
The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and/or Correctional Health Services may use an electronic fillable PDF application and electronic signature pads provided by the Human Services Agency to complete the electronic application, or complete paper applications with the incarcerated person applying for Medi-Cal.
To ensure the protection of all personally identifiable information (PII), as required by law, a Data Sharing Agreement (MOU) with Information Sharing Guidelines has been created and includes all four entities.
The County Attorney has reviewed and approved the resolution as to form.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost, as the responsibilities for assisting with Medi-Cal enrollment will be carried out by existing San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department staff as authorized within the division’s existing budget.