SF 103

as introduced - 80th Legislature (1997 - 1998) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to human services; providing authority to 
  1.3             consolidate nonentitlement grant programs; modifying 
  1.4             the prompt payment provision; amending Minnesota 
  1.5             Statutes 1996, sections 16A.124, subdivision 4b; 
  1.6             245.03, subdivision 2; and 256F.11, subdivision 2. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 16A.124, 
  1.9   subdivision 4b, is amended to read: 
  1.10     Subd. 4b.  [HEALTH CARE PAYMENTS.] The commissioner of 
  1.11  human services must pay or deny a valid vendor obligation for 
  1.12  health services under the medical assistance, general assistance 
  1.13  medical care, or MinnesotaCare program within 30 days after 
  1.14  receipt.  A "valid vendor obligation" means a clean claim 
  1.15  submitted directly to the commissioner by an eligible health 
  1.16  care provider for health services provided to an eligible 
  1.17  recipient.  A "clean claim" means an original paper or 
  1.18  electronic claim with correct data elements, prepared in 
  1.19  accordance with the commissioner's published specifications for 
  1.20  claim preparation, that does not require an attachment or text 
  1.21  information to pay or deny the claim.  Adjustment claims, claims 
  1.22  with attachments and text information, and claims submitted to 
  1.23  the commissioner as the secondary or tertiary payer, that have 
  1.24  been prepared in accordance with the commissioner's published 
  1.25  specifications, must be adjudicated within 90 days after 
  1.26  receipt.  For purposes of this subdivision, paragraphs (a) to (c)
  2.1   shall apply. 
  2.2      (a) The rate of interest paid by the agency shall be the 
  2.3   rate set by the treasury department for Medicare intermediaries 
  2.4   paying interest on Medicare claims failing the prompt payment 
  2.5   requirements established by the health care financing 
  2.6   administration. 
  2.7      (b) The agency is not required to make an interest penalty 
  2.8   payment of less than $2. 
  2.9      (c) The agency is not required to make an interest penalty 
  2.10  payment on claims for which payment has been delayed for 
  2.11  purposes of reviewing potentially fraudulent or abusive billing 
  2.12  practices. 
  2.13     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 245.03, 
  2.14  subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
  2.15     Subd. 2.  [MISSION; EFFICIENCY.] It is part of the 
  2.16  department's mission that within the department's resources the 
  2.17  commissioner shall endeavor to: 
  2.18     (1) prevent the waste or unnecessary spending of public 
  2.19  money; 
  2.20     (2) use innovative fiscal and human resource practices to 
  2.21  manage the state's resources and operate the department as 
  2.22  efficiently as possible, including the authority to consolidate 
  2.23  different nonentitlement grant programs, having similar 
  2.24  functions or serving similar populations, as may be determined 
  2.25  by the commissioner, while protecting the original purposes of 
  2.26  the programs.  With approval of the commissioner, vendors who 
  2.27  are eligible for funding from any of the commissioner's granting 
  2.28  authority under section 256.01, subdivision 2, paragraph (1), 
  2.29  clause (f), may submit a single application for a grant 
  2.30  agreement including multiple awards; 
  2.31     (3) coordinate the department's activities wherever 
  2.32  appropriate with the activities of other governmental agencies; 
  2.33     (4) use technology where appropriate to increase agency 
  2.34  productivity, improve customer service, increase public access 
  2.35  to information about government, and increase public 
  2.36  participation in the business of government; 
  3.1      (5) utilize constructive and cooperative labor-management 
  3.2   practices to the extent otherwise required by chapters 43A and 
  3.3   179A; 
  3.4      (6) include specific objectives in the performance report 
  3.5   required under section 15.91 to increase the efficiency of 
  3.6   agency operations, when appropriate; and 
  3.7      (7) recommend to the legislature, in the performance report 
  3.8   of the department required under section 15.91, appropriate 
  3.9   changes in law necessary to carry out the mission of the 
  3.10  department. 
  3.11     Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 256F.11, 
  3.12  subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
  3.13     Subd. 2.  [FUND DISTRIBUTION.] In distributing funds, the 
  3.14  commissioner shall give priority consideration to agencies and 
  3.15  organizations with experience in working with abused or 
  3.16  neglected children and their families, and with children at high 
  3.17  risk of abuse and neglect and their families, and serve 
  3.18  communities which demonstrate the greatest need for these 
  3.19  services.  Funds shall be distributed to crisis nurseries 
  3.20  according to a formula mutually agreed upon by the commissioner 
  3.21  and the Minnesota crisis nursery association.  This formula 
  3.22  shall include funding for all existing crisis nursery programs 
  3.23  that meet program requirements as specified in paragraph (a), 
  3.24  and consideration of factors reflecting the need for services in 
  3.25  each service area, including, but not limited to, the number of 
  3.26  children 18 years of age and under living in the service area, 
  3.27  the percent of children 18 years of age and under living in 
  3.28  poverty in the service area, and factors reflecting the cost of 
  3.29  providing services, including, but not limited to, the number of 
  3.30  days of service provided in the previous year.  At least 25 
  3.31  percent of available funds for state fiscal year 1998 shall be 
  3.32  set aside to accomplish any of the following:  establish new 
  3.33  crisis nursery programs; increase statewide availability of 
  3.34  crisis nursery services; and enhance or expand services at 
  3.35  existing crisis nursery programs. 
  3.36     (a) The crisis nurseries must:  
  4.1      (1) be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week; 
  4.2      (2) provide services for children up to three days at any 
  4.3   one time; 
  4.4      (3) make referrals for parents to counseling services and 
  4.5   other community resources to help alleviate the underlying cause 
  4.6   of the precipitating stress or crisis; 
  4.7      (4) provide services without a fee for a maximum of 30 days 
  4.8   in any year; 
  4.9      (5) provide services to children from birth to 12 years of 
  4.10  age; 
  4.11     (6) provide an initial assessment and intake interview 
  4.12  conducted by a skilled professional who will identify the 
  4.13  presenting problem and make an immediate referral to an 
  4.14  appropriate agency or program to prevent maltreatment and 
  4.15  out-of-home placement of children; 
  4.16     (7) maintain the clients' confidentiality to the extent 
  4.17  required by law, and also comply with statutory reporting 
  4.18  requirements which may mandate a report to child protective 
  4.19  services; 
  4.20     (8) contain a volunteer component; 
  4.21     (9) provide preservice training and ongoing training to 
  4.22  providers and volunteers; 
  4.23     (10) evaluate the services provided by documenting use of 
  4.24  services, the result of family referrals made to community 
  4.25  resources, and how the services reduced the risk of 
  4.26  maltreatment; 
  4.27     (11) provide age appropriate programming; 
  4.28     (12) provide developmental assessments; 
  4.29     (13) provide medical assessments as determined by using a 
  4.30  risk screening tool; 
  4.31     (14) meet United States Department of Agriculture 
  4.32  regulations concerning meals and provide three meals a day and 
  4.33  three snacks during a 24-hour period; and 
  4.34     (15) provide appropriate sleep and nap arrangements for 
  4.35  children.  
  4.36     (b) The crisis nurseries are encouraged to provide:  
  5.1      (1) on-site support groups for facility model programs, or 
  5.2   agency sponsored parent support groups for volunteer family 
  5.3   model programs; 
  5.4      (2) parent education classes or programs that include 
  5.5   parent-child interaction; and 
  5.6      (3) opportunities for parents to volunteer, if appropriate, 
  5.7   to assist with child care in a supervised setting in order to 
  5.8   enhance their parenting skills and self-esteem, in addition to 
  5.9   providing them the opportunity to give something back to the 
  5.10  program.  
  5.11     (c) Parents shall retain custody of their children during 
  5.12  placement in a crisis facility.  
  5.13     The crisis nurseries are encouraged to include one or more 
  5.14  parents who have used the crisis nursery services on the 
  5.15  program's multidisciplinary advisory board.