Bill proposes fines, state teams to fix mental health assessment delays

To get the mental health services needed many times an assessment is required. However, a requirement timeline to get one is often not met.

According to the Department of Human Services, “MnCHOICES is a computer application used by counties, tribal nations and managed care organizations to support their assessment and support planning work for Minnesotans who need long-term services and supports, regardless of age, type of disability or service needs.” 

“In certain parts of the state families are waiting six months, nine months, 12 months to even receive a MnCHOICES assessment, regardless of the fact that the statute states 30 days.” said Rep. Kim Hicks (DFL-Rochester).

As amended, the Hicks-sponsored HF671 would tackle that problem along with establishing grant programs to help meet the needs of people needing those mental health services. It was laid over Tuesday by the House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee for possible inclusion in a larger bill.

The bill would establish daily fines for lead agencies (counties) who fail to meet assessment timelines, require the department to create a team of MnCHOICES assessors, and allow hospitals to have assessors that can be used if the department team can’t complete the assessment.

“We don't want to make MnCHOICES a hospital function,” Hicks said, “but if the only barrier to leaving a hospital is a MnCHOICES assessment, we must find solutions to get it done.”

Jill Pooler, aging and disability social services manager with Wright County Health and Human Services, said counties would meet deadlines if they had the capacity and current system and program expectations were attainable.

“Financial penalties don't achieve the shared outcome, merely place the burden of an already stressed system onto local taxpayers, and will not resolve the larger issue,” she said. “We believe a more sustainable long-term solution would be simplification of our existing processes.”

The bill would also establish a youth care professional grant program and high-fidelity wraparound grant program, make changes related to mental health certified family peer specialists and support programs, and require the department to establish and maintain transition teams to help youth transitioning out of residential settings.

The bill would further allow a parent to provide personal assistance services to a minor child with specified care needs when traveling out of state; establish a psychiatric residential treatment facility working group; modify room and board rates for children’s residential mental health treatment services; provide a 50% rate increase for certain children’s mental health services; and appropriate money for various provisions related to children’s mental health services.

[MORE: Written support for the bill]

From the Minnesota Coalition for Family Home Visiting, “Investing in Minnesota’s mental health services and grant programs will improve mental health care access for more families. We must support a continuum of care that supports the mental health and wellbeing for all members of the family––including the providers that care for families in Minnesota.”