(1) To establish and administer RCW 74.09.886, the authority shall:

(a)(i) Establish or amend a contract with a coordinating entity to:

(A) Assure the availability of access to eligibility determinations services for community support services benefits and permanent supportive housing benefits;

(B) Verify that persons meet the eligibility standards of RCW 74.09.886(2);

(C) Coordinate enrollment in medical assistance programs for persons who meet the eligibility standards of RCW 74.09.886(2), except for actual enrollment in a medical assistance program under this chapter; and

(D) Coordinate with a network of community support services providers to arrange with local housing providers for the placement of an eligible person in permanent supportive housing appropriate to the person's needs and assure that community support services are provided to the person by a community support services provider.

(ii) The primary role of the coordinating entity or entities is administrative and operational, while the authority shall establish the general policy parameters for the work of the coordinating entity or entities.

(iii) In selecting the coordinating entity or entities, the authority shall: Choose one or more organizations that are capable of coordinating access to both community support services and permanent supportive housing services to eligible persons under RCW 74.09.886; and select no more than one coordinating entity per region which is served by medicaid managed care organizations;

(b) Report to the office for the ongoing monitoring of the program; and

(c) Adopt any rules necessary to implement the program.

(2) The authority shall establish a work group to provide feedback to the agency on its foundational community supports program as it aligns with the work of the housing benefit. The work group may include representatives of state agencies, behavioral health administrative services organizations, the coordinating entity or entities, and contracted agencies providing foundational community supports services. Topics may include, but are not limited to, best practices in eligibility screening processes and case rate billing for foundational community supports housing, regional cost differentials, costs consistent with specialized needs, improved data access and data sharing with foundational community supports providers, and requirements related to the use of a common practice tool among community support services providers to integrate social determinants of health into service delivery. The authority, in consultation with foundational community supports providers and their stakeholders, shall engage each region on case management tools and programs, evaluate effectiveness, and inform the appropriate committees of the legislature on the use of case management tools. Case management shall also be a regular item of engagement in the work group. The authority shall convene the work group at least once each quarter and may expand upon, but not duplicate, existing work groups or advisory councils at the authority or other state agencies.

(3) To support the goals of the program and the goals of other statewide initiatives to identify and address social needs, including efforts within the 1115 waiver renewal to advance health equity and health-related supports, the authority shall work with the office and the department of social and health services to research, identify, and implement statewide universal measures to identify and consider social determinants of health domains, including housing, food security, transportation, financial strain, and interpersonal safety. The authority shall select an accredited or nationally vetted tool, including criteria for prioritization, for the community support services provider to use when making determinations about housing options and other support services to offer individuals eligible for the program. This screening and prioritization process may not exclude clients transitioning from inpatient or other behavioral health residential treatment settings. The authority shall inform the governor and the appropriate committees of the legislature on progress to this end.

(4)(a) The authority and the department may seek and accept funds from private and federal sources to support the purposes of the program.

(b) The authority shall seek approval from the federal department of health and human services to:

(i) Receive federal matching funds for administrative costs and services provided under the program to persons enrolled in medicaid;

(ii) Align the eligibility and benefit standards of the foundational community supports program established pursuant to the waiver, entitled "medicaid transformation project" and initially approved November 2017, between the authority and the federal centers for medicare and medicaid services, as amended and reauthorized, with the standards of the program, including extending the duration of the benefits under the foundational community supports program to not less than 12 months; and

(iii) Implement a medical and psychiatric respite care benefit for certain persons enrolled in medicaid.

(5)(a) By December 1, 2022, the authority and the office shall report to the governor and the legislature on preparedness for the first year of program implementation, including the estimated enrollment, estimated program costs, estimated supportive housing unit availability, funding availability for the program from all sources, efforts to improve billing and administrative burdens for foundational community supports providers, efforts to streamline continuity of care and system connection for persons who are potentially eligible for foundational community supports, and any statutory or budgetary needs to successfully implement the first year of the program.

(b) By December 1, 2023, the authority and the office shall report to the governor and the legislature on the progress of the first year of program implementation and preparedness for the second year of program implementation.

(c) By December 1, 2024, the authority and the office shall report to the governor and the legislature on the progress of the first two years of program implementation and preparedness for ongoing housing acquisition and development.

(d) By December 1, 2026, the authority and the office shall report to the governor and the legislature on the full implementation of the program, including the number of persons served by the program, available permanent supportive housing units, estimated unmet demand for the program, ongoing funding requirements for the program, and funding availability for the program from all sources. Beginning December 1, 2027, the authority and the office shall provide annual updates to the governor and the legislature on the status of the program.

Findings—Intent—Short title—2022 c 216: See notes following RCW 74.09.885.