HF 3044

as introduced - 85th Legislature (2007 - 2008) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to human services; changing qualifications for mental health
rehabilitation workers; amending Minnesota Statutes 2007 Supplement, section
256B.0623, subdivision 5.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2007 Supplement, section 256B.0623, subdivision 5,
is amended to read:

Subd. 5.

Qualifications of provider staff.

Adult rehabilitative mental health
services must be provided by qualified individual provider staff of a certified provider
entity. Individual provider staff must be qualified under one of the following criteria:

(1) a mental health professional as defined in section 245.462, subdivision 18,
clauses (1) to (5). If the recipient has a current diagnostic assessment by a licensed
mental health professional as defined in section 245.462, subdivision 18, clauses (1) to
(5), recommending receipt of adult mental health rehabilitative services, the definition of
mental health professional for purposes of this section includes a person who is qualified
under section 245.462, subdivision 18, clause (6), and who holds a current and valid
national certification as a certified rehabilitation counselor or certified psychosocial
rehabilitation practitioner;

(2) a mental health practitioner as defined in section 245.462, subdivision 17. The
mental health practitioner must work under the clinical supervision of a mental health
professional;

(3) a certified peer specialist under section 256B.0615. The certified peer specialist
must work under the clinical supervision of a mental health professional; or

(4) a mental health rehabilitation worker. A mental health rehabilitation worker
means a staff person working under the direction of a mental health practitioner or mental
health professional and under the clinical supervision of a mental health professional in
the implementation of rehabilitative mental health services as identified in the recipient's
individual treatment plan who:

(i) is at least 21 years of age;

(ii) has a high school diploma or equivalent;

(iii) has successfully completed deleted text begin 30 deleted text end new text begin 15 new text end hours of training during the past two years
in all of the following areas: recipient rights, recipient-centered individual treatment
planning, behavioral terminology, mental illness, co-occurring mental illness and
substance abuse, psychotropic medications and side effects, functional assessment, local
community resources, adult vulnerability, recipient confidentiality; and

(iv) meets the qualifications in subitem (A) or (B):

(A) has an associate of arts degree in one of the behavioral sciences or human
services, deleted text begin or deleted text end new text begin has completed at least two years of college with an emphasis in one of the
behavioral sciences or human services, new text end is a registered nurse without a bachelor's degree,
or who within the previous ten years has:

(1) three years of personal life experience with serious and persistent mental illness;

(2) three years of life experience as a primary caregiver to an adult with a serious
mental illness or traumatic brain injury; or

(3) deleted text begin 4,000 deleted text end new text begin 2,000 new text end hours of supervised paid work experience in the delivery of mental
health services to adults with a serious mental illness or traumatic brain injury; or

(B)(1) is fluent in the non-English language or competent in the culture of the
ethnic group to which at least 20 percent of the mental health rehabilitation worker's
clients belong;

(2) receives during the first 2,000 hours of work, monthly documented individual
clinical supervision by a mental health professional;

(3) has deleted text begin 18 deleted text end new text begin 12 new text end hours of documented field supervision by a mental health professional
or practitioner during the first 160 hours of contact work with recipients, and at least six
hours of field supervision quarterly during the following year;

(4) has review and cosignature of charting of recipient contacts during field
supervision by a mental health professional or practitioner; and

(5) has deleted text begin 40 deleted text end new text begin 20 new text end hours of additional continuing education on mental health topics
during the first year of employment.