Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Health Care & Wellness Committee

SB 6351

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief Summary of Bill

Requires the Health Care Authority (HCA) to require all applicants to the nonemergency medical transportation program undergo a fingerprint-based background check.
Requires the Washington State Patrol to furnish a conviction record for any applicant to the nonemergency medical transportation program upon the written request of the HCA.

Background:

The Medicaid non-emergency medical transportation program (NEMT) is a federally-mandated benefit that requires states to ensure that qualified Medicaid beneficiaries have transportation to and from providers for medical services if they have no means of transportation. The Health Care Authority (HCA) manages the program in Washington for Medicaid enrollees and provides similar services for those enrolled in other state-funded medical assistance programs who have no other means to access medical care. The HCA provides the service through contracted brokers who arrange and pay for trips for qualifying clients.

The Washington State Patrol (WSP) obtains and maintains fingerprints, palmprints, photographs, and other criminal history records of persons arrested and charged with or convicted of a criminal offense. The WSP also maintains information concerning persons arrested for or convicted of crimes in other states. The WSP is statutorily authorized to disseminate criminal history record information for noncriminal justice purposes and may charge a fee for the dissemination of such records. Upon written request and for certain statutorily authorized purposes, the WSP must provide any individual's conviction record to a number of entities and agencies, including the Department of Social and Health Services. The fees vary depending on the type of request, including whether the request includes a Federal Bureau of Investigation fingerprint check request.

Summary of Bill:

The Health Care Authority (HCA) must require a Washington State Patrol (WSP) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) fingerprint-based background check for all applicants or service providers to the nonemergency medical transportation program (NEMT) to determine the character, competence, and suitability of the applicant to have unsupervised access to clients of the program. For purposes of protecting the population served by the NEMT and upon written request by the HCA, the WSP must furnish a conviction record, including records from the FBI, for any applicant to the NEMT.

Current or prospective employees, volunteers, interns, contractors of the HCA, or others who have or may have unsupervised access on HCA's behalf are included in the definition of "applicant." Entities, facilities, agencies, businesses, and individuals licensed, certified, authorized or regulated by, that receive payment from, or have contracts or agreement with the HCA are included in the definition of "service provider."