Section 25.5-6-2001 - System of care for children and youth - federal authorization - leadership and implementation team - report - rules - definition(1) No later than July 1, 2024, the state department, in collaboration with the behavioral health administration, and the department of human services pursuant to article 64.5 of title 27, shall begin developing a system of care for children and youth who have complex behavioral health needs. At a minimum, the system of care must include:(a) Implementation of a standardized assessment tool that:(I) Expands upon and modifies the assessment tool described in section 19-1-115 (4)(e)(I);(II) Makes recommendations regardi necessary to meet the child's or youth's treatment needs;(III) Informs the child's or youth's treatment planning, including behavioral health programming and medical needs; and(IV) Is administered to children and youth who are enrolled in the medical assistance program or any child or youth who meets the referral requirements established by the behavioral health administration pursuant to article 64.5 of title 27;(b) Intensive-care coordination for children and youth enrolled in the medical assistance program;(c) Expanded supportive services for children and youth pursuant to subsection (4) of this section; and(d) Expanded access to treatment foster care, as defined in section 26-6-903, pursuant to subsection (5) of this section.(2)(a) No later than November 1, 2024, the state department shall convene a leadership team that is responsible for the decision-making and oversight of the system of care for children and youth who have complex behavioral health needs.(b) The leadership team consists of the following members:(I) The executive director of the state department, or the executive director's designee;(II) The executive director of the department of human services, or the executive director's designee;(III) The commissioner of the behavioral health administration in the department of human services, or the commissioner's designee;(IV) The executive director of the department of public health and environment, or the executive director's designee;(V) The commissioner of the department of education, or the commissioner's designee;(VI) The executive director of the department of early childhood, or the executive director's designee;(VII) The commissioner of the division of insurance in the department of regulatory agencies, or the commissioner's designee;(VIII) One county commissioner, or the county commissioner's designee, from the eastern region, the front range region, the mountain region, the southern region, and the western region, as designated by the statewide organization that represents county commissioners;(IX) One county commissioner at large, or a county commissioner's designee;(X) One director of a county department of human or social services at large, or the director's designee, as designated by the statewide organization that represents county department of human or social services directors;(XI) One or more families or individuals with lived experience using children's or youth's behavioral health services, appointed by the commissioner of the behavioral health administration; and(XII) One or more representatives from a consumer advocacy organization, appointed by the commissioner of the behavioral health administration.(c) The leadership team has the following duties and responsibilities:(I) To evaluate the performance and effectiveness of the state department in the development of the system of care for children and youth with complex behavioral health needs;(II) To oversee and advise the strategic direction of the development of the system of care; and(III) To provide fiscal oversight of the state department's development and oversight of the system of care.(3)(a) No later than October 1, 2024, the state department shall convene an implementation team that shall create a plan to implement the system of care for children and youth who have complex behavioral health needs.(b) The implementation team consists of the following members:(I) The executive director of the state department, or the executive director's designee;(II) The executive director of the department of human services, or the executive director's designee;(III) The commissioner of the behavioral health administration in the department of human services, or the commissioner's designee;(IV) The executive director of the department of public health and environment, or the executive director's designee;(V) The commissioner of the department of education, or the commissioner's designee;(VI) The executive director of the department of early childhood, or the executive director's designee;(VII) The commissioner of the division of insurance in the department of regulatory agencies, or the commissioner's designee;(VIII) One or more county commissioners, as designated by the statewide organization that represents county commissioners;(IX) One or more directors of a county department of human or social services, or the director's designee, as designated by the statewide organization that represents county department of human or social services directors;(X) One or more families or individuals with lived experience using children's or youth's behavioral health services, appointed by the commissioner of the behavioral health administration;(XI) One or more representatives from a consumer advocacy organization, appointed by the commissioner of the behavioral health administration;(XII) A representative of the statewide association that represents child welfare agencies, appointed by the director of the association;(XIII) A representative of the statewide association that represents hospitals, appointed by the director of the association; and(XIV) A representative of the statewide association that represents comprehensive behavioral health providers, appointed by the director of the association.(4) No later than January 1, 2025, the state department shall seek federal authorization to expand the residential child health-care program established pursuant to section 25.5-6-903 to include children and youth who have a serious emotional disturbance that puts the child or youth at risk or in need of out-of-home placement.(5) No later than January 1, 2025, the state department shall develop and implement a plan to increase access to treatment foster care, as defined in section 26-6-903, under the state medical assistance program.(6) The state department may promulgate rules in consultation with the behavioral health administration and the department of human services for the administration and implementation of the system of care for children and youth.(7)(a) No later than January 1, 2025, the department of health care policy and financing shall contract with a third-party vendor to complete an actuarial analysis in order to determine the appropriate medicaid reimbursement rate for psychiatric residential treatment facilities, as defined in section 25.5-4-103.(b) Beginning January 2025, and each quarter thereafter, the state departmentshallreport progress on the development and implementation of the system of care developed pursuant to this section to the joint budget committee.(8) As used in this section, "child or youth" means an individual who is less than twenty-one years of age.Added by 2024 Ch. 459,§ 1, eff. 6/6/2024.