2012 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 17a - Social and Human Services and Resources
Chapter 319 - Department of Children and Families
Section 17a-22j - Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight Council. Members. Duties.

(a) There is established a Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight Council which shall advise the Commissioners of Children and Families, Social Services and Mental Health and Addiction Services on the planning and implementation of the Behavioral Health Partnership.

(b) The council shall consist of the following members:

(1) Four appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives; two of whom are representatives of general or specialty psychiatric hospitals; one of whom is an adult with a psychiatric disability; and one of whom is an advocate for adults with psychiatric disabilities;

(2) Four appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, two of whom are parents of children who have a behavioral health disorder or have received child protection or juvenile justice services from the Department of Children and Families; one of whom has expertise in health policy and evaluation; and one of whom is an advocate for children with behavioral health disorders;

(3) Two appointed by the majority leader of the House of Representatives; one of whom is a primary care provider serving adults or children in the Medicaid program; and one of whom is a child psychiatrist serving children pursuant to the HUSKY Plan;

(4) Two appointed by the majority leader of the Senate; one of whom is an advocate for adults with substance use disorders; and one of whom is a representative of school-based health clinics;

(5) Two appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives; one of whom is a provider of community-based psychiatric services for adults; and one of whom is a provider of residential treatment for children;

(6) Two appointed by the minority leader of the Senate one of whom is a provider of community-based services for children with behavioral health problems and one of whom is a member of the Council on Medical Assistance Program Oversight;

(7) Four appointed by the Governor; two of whom are representatives of general or specialty psychiatric hospitals and two of whom are parents of children who have a behavioral health disorder or have received child protection or juvenile justice services from the Department of Children and Families;

(8) The chairpersons and ranking members of the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services, public health and appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, or their designees;

(9) Four appointed by the chairpersons of the Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight Council; one of whom is a representative of a home health care agency providing behavioral health services; one of whom is a provider of substance use disorder treatment services; one of whom is an adult in recovery from a psychiatric disability; and one of whom is a parent or family member of an adult with a serious behavioral health disorder;

(10) Eight nonvoting ex-officio members, one each appointed by the Commissioner of Social Services, the Commissioner of Children and Families, the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the Commissioner of Developmental Services and the Commissioner of Education to represent his or her department, one appointed by the Chief Court Administrator of the Judicial Branch to represent the Court Support Services Division and one each appointed by the State Comptroller and the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management to represent said offices; and

(11) One representative from each administrative services organization under contract with the Department of Social Services to provide such services for recipients of assistance under Medicaid, HUSKY Plan, Part A and Part B and the Charter Oak Health Plan, to be nonvoting ex-officio members.

(c) All appointments to the council shall be made no later than July 1, 2005. Any vacancy shall be filled by the appointing authority.

(d) On or after July 1, 2010, the members of the Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight Council shall select the chairpersons of the council from among the members of the council. Such chairpersons shall convene the first meeting of the council, which shall be held not later than August 1, 2005. The council shall meet not less than six times a year thereafter.

(e) The Joint Committee on Legislative Management shall provide administrative support to the chairpersons and assistance in convening the council’s meetings.

(f) The council shall make specific recommendations on matters related to the planning and implementation of the Behavioral Health Partnership which shall include, but not be limited to: (1) Review of any contracts entered into by the Departments of Children and Families, Social Services and Mental Health and Addiction Services with any administrative services organizations, to assure that the administrative services organization’s decisions are based solely on clinical management criteria developed by the clinical management committee established in section 17a-22k; (2) review of behavioral health services pursuant to Title XIX and Title XXI of the Social Security Act to assure that federal revenue is being maximized; (3) review of behavioral health services under the Charter Oak Health Plan; and (4) review of periodic reports on the program activities, finances and outcomes, including reports from the director of the Behavioral Health Partnership on achievement of service delivery system goals, pursuant to section 17a-22i. The council may conduct or cause to be conducted an external, independent evaluation of the Behavioral Health Partnership.

(P.A. 05-280, S. 95; P.A. 06-188, S. 28, 29; P.A. 08-95, S. 1; P.A. 10-43, S. 11; 10-119, S. 4; 10-179, S. 71; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 10-1, S. 46, 63; P.A. 11-44, S. 168.)

History: P.A. 05-280 effective July 13, 2005; P.A. 06-188 amended Subsec. (b) to increase the number of nonvoting ex-officio members from four to seven and provide for appointment of the additional members by the Commissioner of Education, the State Comptroller and the Office of Health Care Access in Subdiv. (5), to add new Subdiv. (6) authorizing chairpersons of council to appoint one or more consumers to the council and to redesignate existing Subdiv. (6) as Subdiv. (7), and amended Subsec. (c) to allow for appointment of additional consumers to council after July 1, 2005; P.A. 08-95 amended Subsec. (b) by adding new Subdivs. (1) to (6) transferring council membership appointment authority from chairpersons of advisory council on Medicaid managed care to legislative leaders of General Assembly, by adding new Subdiv. (7) providing Governor with authority to appoint four members to the council, by renumbering existing Subdivs. (1) to (3) and (5) to (7) as Subdivs. (8) to (13) and by deleting former Subdiv. (4); P.A. 10-43 amended Subsec. (b) to make a technical change in Subdiv. (8) and to increase from 7 to 8 the number of nonvoting ex-officio members, authorize 1 member to be appointed by Chief Court Administrator of Judicial Branch to represent Court Support Services Division and make technical changes in Subdiv. (11), effective May 18, 2010; P.A. 10-119 amended Subsec. (a) by adding “and Mental Health and Addiction Services”, amended Subsec. (b) by substituting “adults or children in the Medicaid program” for “children pursuant to the HUSKY Plan” in Subdiv. (3), deleting “either an adult with a substance use disorder or” in Subdiv. (4), substituting “psychiatric” for “behavioral health” in Subdiv. (5), deleting former Subdivs. (9) and (10), adding new Subdiv. (9) re 4 members appointed by chairpersons of Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight Council, redesignating existing Subdiv. (11) as new Subdiv. (10) and adding Commissioner of Developmental Services therein, deleting former Subdiv. (12) and redesignating existing Subdiv. (13) as new Subdiv. (11), amended Subsec. (c) by deleting provision re chairpersons’ authority to appoint additional consumers to council, amended Subsec. (d) by substituting “not less than six times a year” for “at least monthly” re council meetings, amended Subsec. (f) by adding “Mental Health and Addiction Services”, changing “contract” to “contracts” and changing “administrative services organization” to “administrative services organizations” in Subdiv. (1), adding new Subdiv. (3) re review of behavioral health services under Charter Oak Health Plan and redesignating existing Subdiv. (3) as Subdiv. (4) and deleted former Subsec. (g) re annual report, effective June 7, 2010; P.A. 10-179 amended Subsec. (b) by deleting provision re appointment of member of advisory council on Medicaid managed care in Subdiv. (6), by deleting provision re appointment by Office of Health Care Access of ex-officio member in Subdiv. (11) and by replacing provision re appointment of representatives from Medicaid managed care organizations with provision re appointment of representatives of certain administrative services organizations in Subdiv. (13), amended Subsec. (d) by replacing provision re chairpersons of advisory council on Medicaid managed care to select council’s chairpersons from among members of Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight Council with provision re members of Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight Council to select chairpersons from among members of council, effective July 1, 2010; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 10-1 amended Subsec. (b) by replacing “one” with “two” re number of appointments to council by Senate minority leader and requiring 1 of the appointees to be member of advisory council on Medicaid care management oversight in Subdiv. (6) and by making a technical change in Subdiv. (10), effective July 1, 2010; P.A. 11-44 amended Subsec. (b)(6) by replacing “advisory council on Medicaid care management oversight” with “Council on Medical Assistance Program Oversight”, effective July 1, 2011.