Florida Senate - 2019                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 900
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì115700jÎ115700                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
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       The Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs (Harrell)
       recommended the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete lines 230 - 260
    4  and insert:
    5         (1) The Legislature intends to expand the use of peer
    6  specialists as a cost-effective means of providing services by
    7  ensuring that peer specialists meet specified qualifications,
    8  meet modified background screening requirements, and are
    9  adequately reimbursed for their services.
   10         (2) An individual may seek certification as a peer
   11  specialist if he or she has been in recovery from a substance
   12  use disorder or mental illness for at least 2 years, or if he or
   13  she has at least 2 years of experience as a family member or
   14  caregiver of a person with a substance use disorder or mental
   15  illness.
   16         (3) The department shall approve one or more third-party
   17  credentialing entities for the purposes of certifying peer
   18  specialists, approving training programs for individuals seeking
   19  certification as peer specialists, approving continuing
   20  education programs, and establishing the minimum requirements
   21  and standards that applicants must achieve to maintain
   22  certification. To obtain approval, the third-party credentialing
   23  entity must demonstrate compliance with nationally recognized
   24  standards for developing and administering professional
   25  certification programs to certify peer specialists.
   26         (4) An individual providing department-funded recovery
   27  support services as a peer specialist shall be certified
   28  pursuant to subsection (3). An individual who is not certified
   29  may provide recovery support services as a peer specialist for
   30  up to 1 year if he or she is working toward certification and is
   31  supervised by a qualified professional or by a certified peer
   32  specialist who has at least 3 years of full-time experience as a
   33  peer specialist at a licensed behavioral health organization.
   34         (5) An individual who is not a certified peer specialist
   35  may not advertise recovery services to the public in any way, or
   36  by any medium; or provide recovery services as a peer
   37  specialist, unless the person is exempt under subsection (4).
   38  Any individual who violates this subsection commits a
   39  misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s.
   40  775.082 or s. 775.083.
   41         (6) Peer specialist services may be reimbursed as a
   42  recovery service through the department, a behavioral health
   43  managing entity, or the Medicaid program. Medicaid managed care
   44  plans are encouraged to use peer specialists in providing
   45  recovery services.
   46  
   47  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   48  And the title is amended as follows:
   49         Delete lines 33 - 47
   50  and insert:
   51         providing legislative intent; authorizing an
   52         individual to seek certification as a peer specialist
   53         if he or she meets certain requirements; requiring the
   54         department to approve one or more third-party
   55         credentialing entities for specified purposes;
   56         requiring the credentialing entity to demonstrate
   57         compliance with certain standards in order to be
   58         approved by the department; requiring an individual
   59         providing department-funded recovery support services
   60         as a peer specialist to be certified; authorizing an
   61         individual who is not certified to provide recovery
   62         support services as a peer specialist under certain
   63         circumstances; prohibiting an individual who is not a
   64         certified peer specialist from advertising or
   65         providing recovery services unless the person is
   66         exempt; providing criminal penalties; authorizing the
   67         department, a behavioral health managing entity, or
   68         the Medicaid program to reimburse peer specialist
   69         services as a recovery service; encouraging Medicaid
   70         managed care plans to use peer specialists in
   71         providing recovery services;