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A07721 Summary:

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A07721 Text:

 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                         7721--A
                                                                Cal. No. 378
 
                               2013-2014 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                      May 31, 2013
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced by M. of A. GUNTHER, BARRETT, JAFFEE -- Multi-Sponsored by --
          M.  of  A.    McDONALD  --  read once and referred to the Committee on
          Mental Health -- advanced to a  third  reading,  amended  and  ordered
          reprinted, retaining its place on the order of third reading
 

        AN  ACT  to  amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to establishing a
          community housing wait list
 
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. Section 7.15 of the mental hygiene law is amended by adding
     2  three new subdivisions (c), (d) and (e) to read as follows:
     3    (c) The commissioner shall establish a community housing wait list for
     4  individuals  seeking  housing  and related services within the office of
     5  mental health service system.
     6    (1) For purposes of  this  section  the  following  definitions  shall
     7  apply:
     8    (i)  "Community  housing  wait  list" shall mean a list of individuals
     9  with a documented mental illness who meet the eligibility  criteria  for

    10  housing  programs  licensed,  operated or funded by the office of mental
    11  health and have applied for  or  been  referred  to  but  have  not  yet
    12  received  housing  services  including  but  not  limited  to supported,
    13  supportive, supervised or congregate.
    14    (ii) "Housing services provider" shall mean any holder of an operating
    15  certificate issued pursuant to article thirty-one of  this  chapter,  or
    16  every  housing program funded, operated, administered or licensed by the
    17  office including any local government unit mental health housing  refer-
    18  ral  system  and each single point of entry office, operated by or under
    19  contract with a director  of  community  services  pursuant  to  article
    20  forty-one of this chapter.

    21    (iii)  "Agency  or  institution"  shall  include  adult homes, nursing
    22  homes, foster  care  providers,  homeless  shelters,  state  psychiatric
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD10718-05-4
        A. 7721--A                          2
 
     1  centers,  hospitals,  correctional  facilities and other referring enti-
     2  ties.
     3    (2)  (i)  Every sixty days, each housing service provider shall report
     4  to the office the name of each person who is referred to,  applies  for,
     5  is  admitted  to, withdraws an application for or is denied admission to

     6  the provider's housing program, along with such other information as the
     7  commissioner may require.
     8    (ii) Every sixty days, each agency or institution making referrals for
     9  housing services in the office of mental  health  service  system  shall
    10  provide to the office the names of persons whom it referred to a housing
    11  services provider, along with such other information as the commissioner
    12  may require.
    13    (iii)  Every sixty days, each county's community-based agency perform-
    14  ing assessments of people with disabilities using the uniform assessment
    15  tool, as required by paragraph (b) of subdivision one of  section  seven
    16  hundred three of the executive law, shall provide to the office the name

    17  of  each  person  with  a  documented mental illness who is assessed and
    18  meets the eligibility criteria for the array  of  the  office's  funded,
    19  operated,  and/or  licensed  housing  programs  and  the  names of those
    20  persons it has referred to housing and service providers along with such
    21  other information as the commissioner may require.
    22    (d) The commissioner shall establish policies,  procedures  and  forms
    23  for  the  community housing wait list in order to ensure that applicants
    24  and  prospective  applicants  for  housing  programs,  housing  services
    25  providers,  referring  agencies  and  institutions,  and community based
    26  agencies are able to submit wait list information and copies  of  appli-

    27  cants  and  referrals  directly to the office via electronic means. Such
    28  policies, procedures and forms shall  safeguard  the  confidentially  of
    29  information  concerning  persons seeking housing, and accord each person
    30  on the wait list an  opportunity  to  receive  a  written  copy  of  all
    31  personal  information  maintained  on  the  wait list. Such policies and
    32  procedures shall provide for the community housing wait list to  include
    33  all  persons  on  any  local  or  state wait list for housing before the
    34  effective date of this subdivision and the date  upon  which  each  such
    35  person was first placed on such wait list.  Such list shall also include
    36  persons  who are placed on any such local or state wait list on or after

    37  the effective date of this subdivision.
    38    (e) The commissioner shall prepare a report on the  community  housing
    39  wait  list  of  persons seeking housing within the mental health system.
    40  The report shall include community based housing  and  related  services
    41  for  which  persons  are assessed pursuant to article twenty-five of the
    42  executive law. Such report, broken out by county, shall include but  not
    43  be  limited to, (1) the number of adults referred to the community hous-
    44  ing wait list; (2) the number of adults that applied for  each  category
    45  of residential service; (3) the number of adults, admitted to each cate-
    46  gory  of  residential service; (4) the number of adults denied admission

    47  for each category of residential service; (5) the number of  adults  who
    48  withdrew  applications for each category of residential service; and (6)
    49  the number of adults on the statewide wait list  for  each  category  of
    50  residential  service.  Such  report  shall include for each category and
    51  county, the number of months on the wait  list  for  each  person.  Such
    52  report shall include the types, capacities and vacancy rates of residen-
    53  tial  services  offered  in  each  county. The reports shall include any
    54  actions taken by the office to reduce the length of the  wait  list  for
    55  each  category  of  residential services, including the methods by which
    56  the office prioritizes the provisions of  services  to  persons  on  the

        A. 7721--A                          3
 
     1  statewide  community  housing wait list and the actions of the office to
     2  inform the public about the community housing wait list and  the  avail-
     3  ability  of  community housing and services for adults with a documented
     4  mental  illness. The office shall submit the report to the governor, the
     5  chairperson of the senate mental health and  developmental  disabilities
     6  committee and the chairperson of the assembly mental health committee on
     7  or before January first, two thousand sixteen and quarterly thereafter.
     8    § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
     9  it shall have become a law; provided, however, that effective immediate-
    10  ly,  the  addition,  amendment  and/or  repeal of any rule or regulation

    11  necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective  date  are
    12  authorized  and  directed  to  be  made  and completed on or before such
    13  effective date.