Requires a rate enhancement for reimbursement of individual psychotherapy services provided by a mental health counselor, a clinical social worker, or a psychologist where such services are provided in an outpatient substance use disorder clinic.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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8363
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
June 5, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. FERNANDEZ -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to establishing the
individual counseling for integrated care rate enhancement act
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "individual
2 counseling rate enhancement act".
3 § 2. The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section 19.18-d
4 to read as follows:
5 § 19.18-d Individual counseling rate enhancement.
6 1. The office shall establish a rate enhancement for reimbursement of
7 individual psychotherapy services provided to individuals by a mental
8 health counselor licensed pursuant to article one hundred sixty-three of
9 the education law or a clinical social worker licensed pursuant to arti-
10 cle one hundred fifty-four of the education law or a psychologist
11 licensed pursuant to article one hundred fifty-three of the education
12 law where such services are provided in outpatient substance use disor-
13 der clinics licensed pursuant to article thirty-two of this chapter.
14 Such rate shall be no less than the rate established by the office for
15 individual counseling in effect on April first, two thousand twenty-five
16 plus a service rate of 50%.
17 2. The office shall promulgate regulations to implement the rate
18 enhancement set forth under this section. In developing such rates the
19 office, in consultation with the department of health, shall, if neces-
20 sary, pursue federal Medicaid participation and reimbursement. Within
21 thirty-six months of the establishment of the enhanced rate, the office
22 shall evaluate and report whether the access to integrated mental health
23 and addiction recovery services increased. The office shall transmit
24 such report to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, the
25 speaker of the assembly, the minority leader of the senate and the
26 minority leader of the assembly.
27 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13259-01-5
