1.This Act may be cited as
the Healthy Transition Act of
2008
.
2.Healthy transitioning
for youthSubpart 3 of part B
of title V of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290bb–31 et seq.) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
520K.Healthy
transitioning for youth
(a)
(1)The Secretary, in consultation with the agencies
described in subsection (c)(3), shall award grants or cooperative agreements to
States to develop plans for the statewide coordination of services to assist
adolescents and young adults with a serious mental health disorder in acquiring
the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to ensure their healthy
transition to successful adult roles and responsibilities.
(2)To
be eligible for a grant or cooperative agreement under this subsection, a State
shall submit to the Secretary an application, at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Secretary may require.
(3)Not
later than 18 months after the receipt of a grant or cooperative agreement
under this subsection, a State shall submit to the Secretary a State plan that
shall include—
(A)reliable
estimates on the number of adolescents and young adults with serious mental
health disorders in the State;
(B)information on
the youth targeted under this Act, including—
(i)the number of
adolescents and young adults with serious mental health disorders in the State
and the number of such individuals who are currently being served in the
State;
(ii)the number of
such individuals who are receiving mental health services provided by State
agencies other than the agency responsible for mental health services in the
State;
(iii)the number of
youth with serious mental health disorders who are involved in the juvenile
justice system in the State;
(iv)the number of
youth with serious mental health disorders who are involved in the child
protection system in the State;
(v)the number of
youth with serious mental health disorders who have plans in effect under the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in the State;
(vi)the number of
youth with serious mental health disorders who are involved in vocational
rehabilitation in the State;
(vii)the range of
ages served by the programs described in clauses (i) through (vi); and
(viii)a description
of the overall transition coordination that is currently provided by the State
or local authorities and programs in the State;
(C)an identification
of the skills, knowledge, and resources that adolescents and young adults with
serious mental health disorders in the State will need to ensure their
successful and healthy transition into adult roles and responsibilities;
(D)an identification
of the obstacles that adolescents and young adults with serious mental health
disorders in the State encounter while transitioning into adult roles and
responsibilities, including breaks in service or programs caused by eligibility
and program criteria differences between the child and adult mental health
systems and the lack of local access to mental health and transition
services;
(E)an identification
of the current level, type, quality, effectiveness, and availability of
services, including evidence-based practices, available in the State that are
uniquely designed for adolescents and young adults with a serious mental health
disorder to ensure a healthy transition to successful adult roles and
responsibilities;
(F)an identification
of adolescents and young adults with a serious emotional disorder who have a
low likelihood of a healthy and successful transition due to the severity of
their illness, and an identification of how the State will provide treatment
and other support services to this population;
(G)an analyses of
the strengths, weaknesses, and gaps of the current system in the State,
including the availability of lack of mental health professionals trained to
treat adolescents and young adults with a serious mental health disorder, as
well as barriers, to address the needs of adolescents and young adults with a
serious mental health disorder with an appropriate array of effective services
and supports;
(H)a description of
how the State will improve the system of care to ensure successful and healthy
transitions;
(I)a description of
how the State will coordinate the services of State and non-State agencies that
serve adolescents and young adults with a serious mental health
disorder;
(J)a description of
how the State will provide a system of coordinated service delivery under the
grant or cooperative agreement that will address the effective services,
supports, and unique needs of adolescents and young adults with a serious
mental disorder, including those who have been placed in out of home settings
such as the juvenile justice system or those who are or were involved in the
child protection systems;
(K)a description of
how the State will coordinate efforts under the grant or cooperative agreement
with existing services and systems in the State that focus on life skills
necessary for a healthy transition including health, employment and
pre-employment training, transportation, housing, recreation, mental health
services, substance abuse, vocational rehabilitation services for persons with
disabilities, and training for adolescents, young adults and adults, consumers
and their families;
(L)a description of
how the State will work to build workforce capacity to serve the population
described in subparagraph (J);
(M)a description of
how the State will reach out to the target population pre-transition, during
transition, and post-transition;
(N)a description of
how the State is currently utilizing and leveraging (and how the State will use
and leverage) Federal funding streams to care for the target population,
including funding through Medicaid, the Department of Housing and Urban
Development, the Department of Labor though supported employment, the Early and
Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment Program, and other programs, and
including an outline of the barriers the State faces in making Federal funding
flow to the targeted population in a coordinated manner;
(O)a description of
how the State will involve adolescents and young adults with serious mental
health disorders and their families and guardians in the service design,
planning, and implementation of the plan under the grant or cooperative
agreement;
(P)an implementation
subplan that shall be designed to recognize the challenges of implementing a
program between communities at a statewide level and how the State will
overcome those challenges;
(Q)a description of
how the State plans to evaluate outcomes under the program funded under the
grant or cooperative agreement;
(R)a designation of
the State office that will be the lead agency responsible for administering the
program under the grant or cooperative agreement;
(S)a description of
how the State will ensure that the activities planned under the grant or
cooperative agreement will remain sustainable at the end of the cycle of
Federal funding under this section; and
(T)any other
information determined appropriate by the Secretary.
(4)The duration of a grant or cooperative agreement under
this subsection shall not exceed 2 fiscal years.
(5)The Secretary shall provide technical assistance and
training in the development of the plan under paragraph (3), including
convening a meeting of potential applicants for grants or cooperative agreement
under this subsection.
(6)Authorization
of appropriations
(A)There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this
subsection, $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2009, and such sums as may be necessary
for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2013.
(B)The Secretary shall make available 15 percent of the
amount appropriated under subparagraph (A) in each fiscal year for technical
assistance under paragraph (5).
(b)
(1)The Secretary shall award grants or cooperative agreement
to eligible States for the coordination of services to assist adolescents and
young adults with serious mental health disorders in acquiring the services,
skills, and knowledge necessary to ensure their healthy transition to
successful adult roles and responsibilities.
(2)To
be eligible for a grant or cooperative agreement under paragraph (1), a State
shall—
(A)be a State that
has received a grant or cooperative agreement under subsection (a) and
submitted a plan that meets the requirements of paragraph (3) of such
subsection; or
(B)be a State that
has not received such a grant or cooperative agreement but that has a plan that
is equivalent to the plan required under subsection (a)(3).
(3)To
be eligible for a grant or cooperative agreement under this subsection, a State
shall submit to the Secretary an application, at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Secretary requires, including—
(A)a copy of the
plan submitted under subsection (a)(3), or in the case of a State described in
paragraph (2)(B), a plan that is equivalent to the plan required under
subsection (a)(3);
(B)a list of the
State agencies that will participate in the program to be funded under the
grant or cooperative agreement along with written verification as to the
commitment of such agencies to the program;
(C)an assurance that
the State will develop a coordinating committee composed of representatives of
the participating State agencies, as well as consumers and families of
consumers;
(D)a description of
the role of such coordinating committee; and
(E)the names of at
least two local communities that will implement the program at the local level
and how those communities will implement the State plan.
(4)Funds provided under a grant or cooperative agreement under
this subsection shall be used to implement the State plan, including—
(A)facilitating a
youth ombudsman or other advocacy program;
(B)facilitating peer
support programs and networks within the State;
(C)facilitating
access to independent living and life skills supports;
(D)developing
infrastructure to support access to necessary health, mental health,
employment, education, and housing supports; and
(E)facilitating the
training of support providers and workforce capacity to serve the target
population.
(5)The duration of a grant or cooperative agreement under
this subsection shall not exceed 5 fiscal years.
(6)
(A)To be eligible for a grant or cooperative agreement under
this subsection, the State shall agree that, with respect to the costs to be
incurred by the State in carrying out activities under the grant or cooperative
agreement, the State will make available (directly or through donations from
public or private entities) non-Federal contributions toward such costs in an
amount that—
(i)for the first
fiscal year for which the State receives payments under the grant or
cooperative agreement, is not less than $1 for each $3 of Federal funds
provided under the grant or cooperative agreement;
(ii)for any second
or third such fiscal year, is not less than $1 for each $2 of Federal funds
provided under the grant or cooperative agreement;
(iii)for any fourth
such fiscal year, is not less than $1 for each $1 of Federal funds provided
under the grant or cooperative agreement; and
(iv)for any fifth
such fiscal year, is not less than $2 for each $1 of Federal funds provided
under the grant or cooperative agreement.
(B)Determination
of amount contributed
(i)Non-Federal contributions required under subparagraph (A)
may be in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated, including plant, equipment, or
services. Amounts provided by the Federal Government, or services assisted or
subsidized to any significant extent by the Federal Government, may not be
included in determining the amount of such non-Federal contributions.
(ii)Non-Federal
contributionsIn making a determination of the amount of
non-Federal contributions for purposes of clause (i), the Secretary may include
only non-Federal contributions in excess of the average amount of non-Federal
contributions made by the State involved toward the purpose of the grant or
cooperative agreement under this subsection for the 2-year period preceding the
first fiscal year for which the State receives a grant or cooperative agreement
under such subsection.
(7)The Secretary shall provide technical assistance and
training to recipients of grants or cooperative agreements under this
subsection, including convening meetings each year to identify ways of
improving State programs. Such meetings shall include the members of the
Federal Partners Committee under subsection (c).
(8)The
Secretary shall carry out a cross-site evaluation that—
(A)reports on
current State efforts to transition the population involved prior to the
implementation of the State plans under this section; and
(B)evaluates the
program carried out by the State under this section to determine the
effectiveness of such program in meeting its goals and objectives as compared
with current approaches.
(9)Authorization
of appropriations
(A)There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this
subsection, $6,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009 and 2010, $15,000,000 for
fiscal year 2011, $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2012, and $25,000,000 for fiscal
year 2013.
(B)Technical
assistance and evaluationThe Secretary shall make available 15
percent of the amount appropriated under subparagraph (A), or $2,000,000
whichever is greater, in each fiscal year for technical assistance under
paragraph (7) and the evaluation under paragraph (8).
(c)
(1)The Secretary shall designate an existing Federal entity,
or establish a Committee of Federal Partners, to coordinate service programs to
assist adolescents and young adults with serious mental health disorders in
acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary for them to transition into adult
roles and responsibilities.
(2)If the Secretary elects to utilize an existing
Federal entity under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall ensure that—
(A)such entity is
comprised of representatives of at least the agencies described in paragraph
(3); and
(B)such entity shall
give special attention to the knowledge and skills needed by adolescents and
young adults with mental health disorders in coordinating the programs funded
under this section.
(3)A
Federal entity utilized under this subsection, or a committee established under
paragraph (1), shall include representatives of—
(A)the Department of
Education (or any subagency of the Department);
(B)the Department of
Health and Human Services (or any subagency of the Department);
(C)the Department of
Labor (or any subagency of the Department);
(D)the Department of
Transportation (or any subagency of the Department);
(E)the Department of
Housing and Urban Development (or any subagency of the Department);
(F)the Department of
Interior (or any subagency of the Department);
(G)the Department of
Justice (or any subagency of the Department);
(H)the Social
Security Administration;
(I)an organization
representing consumers and families of consumers as designated by the
Secretary; and
(J)an organization
representing mental health and behavioral health professionals as designated by
the Secretary.
(4)Role of entity
or committeeThe Federal entity or committee designated or
established under paragraph (1) shall review how Federal programs and efforts
that address issues related to the transition of adolescents and young adults
with serious mental health disorders may be coordinated to ensure the maximum
benefit for the individuals being served and to provide technical assistance to
the States who are planning or implementing programs under this section.
(5)Not
later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Federal
entity or committee designated or established under paragraph (1) shall submit
to the appropriate committees of Congress, and make available to the general
public, a report concerning the participation of Federal agencies and
stakeholders in the planning and operations of the entity or committee. Such
report shall also contain a description of the status of the efforts of such
entity or committee in coordinating Federal efforts on behalf of the target
population.
(6)Authorization
of appropriationsThere are authorized to be appropriated to
carry out this subsection, $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2009, and such sums as
may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2013.
(d)In
this section, the term serious mental health disorder has the
meaning given the term serious mental illness
by the
Administrator for purposes of this
title.
.