THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	98
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES TO REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE REGARDING WHAT IMPACT A CASH AND COUNSELING PROGRAM WOULD HAVE ON MEDICAID AND ADULT SERVICES PROGRAMS.

     WHEREAS, Cash and Counseling is a national program sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and the Administration on Aging; and

     WHEREAS, under the program, recipients of Medicaid personal care services or home- and community-based services receive a flexible monthly allowance and decide who to hire and what services they want to receive; and

     WHEREAS, the program's innovative approach enables participants to direct and manage their personal assistance services according to their own specific needs; and

     WHEREAS, participants receive counseling and fiscal assistance to help them manage their allowance and responsibilities; and

     WHEREAS, participants can choose a family member or friend, in lieu of an agency worker, to provide the services; and

     WHEREAS, the program was first implemented in Arkansas, New Jersey, and Florida, and has since expanded to include twelve other states; and

     WHEREAS, the potential exists to establish a similar Cash and Counseling program here in Hawaii to serve the needs of residents receiving Medicaid personal care services or home‑ and community‑based services; and

     WHEREAS, it is important to ascertain what impact, if any, a Cash and Counseling program would have on Medicaid and adult services programs before establishing a similar program here in Hawaii; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2007, that the Department of Human Services is requested to report to the Legislature regarding what impact a Cash and Counseling program would have on Medicaid and adult services programs in Hawaii; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in completing its report, the Department of Human Services should:

     (1)  Contact the National Program Office at the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, which coordinates replications of the program; and

     (2)  Consult with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and the Administration on Aging; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Human Services is requested to submit a report of its findings to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the 2008 Regular Session; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Human Services.

Report Title: 

Cash and Counseling; Department of Human Services Report