Senate Bill sb1230

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    Florida Senate - 2001                                  SB 1230

    By Senator Peaden





    1-1083A-01

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act providing for the Interstate Compact on

  3         Adoption and Medical Assistance; creating s.

  4         409.406, F.S.; providing authority for the

  5         Department of Children and Family Services to

  6         enter into interstate agreements with other

  7         participating states for medical and other

  8         necessary services for special-needs children;

  9         establishing procedures for interstate delivery

10         of adoption assistance and related services and

11         benefits; providing for the adoption of

12         administrative rules; creating s. 409.407,

13         F.S.; prohibiting expansion of the state's

14         financial commitment; providing an effective

15         date.

16

17  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

18

19         Section 1.  Section 409.406, Florida Statutes, is

20  created to read:

21         409.406  Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical

22  Assistance.--The Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical

23  Assistance is enacted into law and entered into with all other

24  jurisdictions legally joining therein in form substantially as

25  follows:

26         INTERSTATE COMPACT ON ADOPTION AND MEDICAL ASSISTANCE

27                       ARTICLE I.  Findings

28  The Legislature finds that:

29         (a)  Special measures are required to find adoptive

30  families for children for whom state assistance is desirable

31  pursuant to s. 409.166 and to assure the protection of the

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    Florida Senate - 2001                                  SB 1230
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  1  interest of the children affected during the entire assistance

  2  period when the adoptive parents move to other states or are

  3  residents of another state.

  4         (b)  The providers of medical and other necessary

  5  services for children, with state assistance, encounter

  6  special difficulties when the provision of services takes

  7  place in other states.

  8                      ARTICLE II.  Purposes

  9  The purposes of the act are to:

10         (a)  Authorize the Department of Children and Family

11  Services to enter into interstate agreements with agencies of

12  other states to protect children for whom adoption assistance

13  is provided by the Department of Children and Family Services.

14         (b)  Provide procedures for interstate children's

15  adoption-assistance payments, including medical payments.

16                    ARTICLE III.  Definitions

17  As used in this compact, the term:

18         (a)  "Agency" means the Agency for Health Care

19  Administration.

20         (b)  "Department" means the Florida Department of

21  Children and Family Services.

22         (c)  "State" means a state of the United States, the

23  District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the

24  United States Virgin Islands, Guam, the Commonwealth of the

25  Northern Mariana Islands, or a territory or possession of or

26  administered by the United States.

27         (d)  "Adoption-assistance state" means the state that

28  is signatory to an adoption-assistance agreement in a

29  particular case.

30         (e)  "Residence state" means the state where the child

31  resides.

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    Florida Senate - 2001                                  SB 1230
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  1         (f)  "Medical assistance" means the medical-assistance

  2  program authorized by Title XIX of the Social Security Act.

  3                 ARTICLE IV.  Compacts Authorized

  4  The Department of Children and Family Services, by and through

  5  its secretary, may participate in the development of and

  6  negotiate and enter into interstate compacts on behalf of this

  7  state with other states to implement the purposes of this act.

  8  Such a compact has the force and effect of law.

  9                 ARTICLE V.  Contents of Compacts

10  A compact entered into under this act must have the following

11  content:

12         (a)  A provision making it available for joinder by all

13  states;

14         (b)  A provision for withdrawal from the compact upon

15  written notice to the parties, but with a period of 1 year

16  between the date of the notice and the effective date of the

17  withdrawal;

18         (c)  A requirement that the protections afforded under

19  the compact continue in force for the duration of the adoption

20  assistance and are applicable to all children and their

21  adoptive parents who, on the effective date of the withdrawal,

22  are receiving adoption assistance from a party state other

23  than the one in which they are residents and have their

24  principal place of abode;

25         (d)  A requirement that each instance of adoption

26  assistance to which the compact applies be covered by an

27  adoption-assistance agreement in writing between the adoptive

28  parents and the state child welfare agency of the state which

29  undertakes to provide the adoption assistance, and further,

30  that any such agreement be expressly for the benefit of the

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    Florida Senate - 2001                                  SB 1230
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  1  adopted child and enforceable by the adoptive parents, and the

  2  state agency providing the adoption assistance; and

  3         (e)  Such other provisions as are appropriate to the

  4  proper administration of the compact.

  5            ARTICLE VI.  Optional Contents of Compacts

  6  A compact entered into under this section may contain

  7  provisions in addition to those required pursuant to Article

  8  V, as follows:

  9         (a)  Provisions establishing procedures and entitlement

10  to medical and other necessary social services for the child

11  in accordance with applicable laws, even though the child and

12  the adoptive parents are in a state other than the one

13  responsible for or providing the services or the funds to

14  defray part or all of the costs thereof; and

15         (b)  Such other provisions as are appropriate or

16  incidental to the proper administration of the compact.

17                 ARTICLE VII.  Medical Assistance

18         (a)  A child with special needs who is a resident of

19  this state and who is the subject of an adoption-assistance

20  agreement with another state is entitled to receive a

21  medical-assistance identification from this state upon the

22  filing with the agency of a certified copy of the

23  adoption-assistance agreement obtained from the

24  adoption-assistance state. Pursuant to rules of the agency,

25  the adoptive parents shall at least annually show that the

26  agreement is still in force or has been renewed.

27         (b)  The terms of the compact entered into by the

28  department apply to children who are the subject of federal

29  adoption-assistance agreements. At the department's option and

30  in concurrence with the agency, the state may elect to provide

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  1  the benefits under this section to children who are the

  2  subject of a state adoption-assistance agreement.

  3         (c)  The agency shall consider the holder of a

  4  medical-assistance identification pursuant to this section as

  5  any other holder of a medical-assistance identification under

  6  the laws of this state and shall process and make payment on

  7  claims on behalf of such holder in the same manner and under

  8  the same conditions and procedures established for other

  9  recipients of medical assistance.

10         (d)  The provisions of this article apply only to

11  medical assistance for children under adoption-assistance

12  agreements from states that have entered into a compact with

13  this state under which the other state provided medical

14  assistance to children with special needs under

15  adoption-assistance agreements made by this state. All other

16  children entitled to medical assistance pursuant to an

17  adoption-assistance agreement entered into by this state are

18  eligible to receive such assistance under the laws and

19  procedures applicable thereto.

20         (e)  The department shall adopt administrative rules

21  necessary for administering this section.

22               ARTICLE VIII.  Federal Participation

23  Consistent with federal law, the department and the agency, in

24  administering the provisions of this act and any compact

25  pursuant hereto must include in any state plan made pursuant

26  to the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 (Pub.

27  L. No. 96-272), Titles IV(E) and XIX of the Social Security

28  Act and any other applicable federal laws, the provision of

29  adoption assistance and medical assistance for which the

30  Federal Government pays some or all of the cost. The

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    Florida Senate - 2001                                  SB 1230
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  1  department and the agency shall apply for and administer all

  2  relevant federal aid in accordance with law.

  3         Section 2.  Section 409.407, Florida Statutes, is

  4  created to read:

  5         409.407  Interstate agreements between the Department

  6  of Children and Family Services and agencies of other

  7  states.--The Department of Children and Family Services, which

  8  is authorized to enter into interstate agreements with

  9  agencies of other states for the implementation of the

10  purposes of the Interstate Compact on Adoptions and Medical

11  Assistance pursuant to s. 409.406, may not expand the

12  financial commitment of the state beyond the financial

13  obligation of the adoption-assistance agreements and Medicaid.

14         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2001.

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16            *****************************************

17                          SENATE SUMMARY

18    Establishes the Interstate Compact on Adoption and
      Medical Assistance. Authorizes the Department of Children
19    and Family Services to enter into interstate agreements
      with other participating states for medical and other
20    necessary services for children with special needs.
      Establishes procedures for interstate delivery of
21    adoption assistance and related services and benefits.
      Provides for the adoption of administrative rules by the
22    department. Prohibits expansion of the state's financial
      commitment beyond the financial obligation of the
23    adoption-assistance agreements and Medicaid.

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