[atlas:bill]

AN ACT Relating to community mental health services; amending RCW 71.24.015, 71.24.025, 71.24.030, 71.24.035, 71.24.037, 71.24.045, 71.24.049, 71.24.155, 71.24.160, 71.24.250, 71.24.310, 71.24.400, and 71.24.405; reenacting and amending RCW 71.24.300; and adding new sections to chapter 71.24 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. RCW 71.24.015 and 1999 c 214 s 7 are each amended to read as follows:

It is the intent of the legislature to establish a community mental health program which shall help people experiencing mental illness to retain a respected and productive position in the community. This will be accomplished through programs which provide for:

(1) Access to mental health services for adults of the state who are acutely mentally ill, chronically mentally ill, or seriously disturbed and children of the state who are acutely mentally ill, severely emotionally disturbed, or seriously disturbed, which services recognize the special needs of underserved populations, including minorities, children, the elderly, disabled, and low-income persons. Access to mental health services shall not be limited by a person's history of confinement in a state, federal, or local correctional facility. It is also the purpose of this chapter to promote the early identification of mentally ill children and to ensure that they receive the mental health care and treatment which is appropriate to their developmental level. This care should improve home, school, and community functioning, maintain children in a safe and nurturing home environment, and should enable treatment decisions to be made in response to clinical needs in accordance with sound professional judgment while also recognizing parents' rights to participate in treatment decisions for their children;

(2) Accountability of efficient and effective services through state of the art performance measures and statewide standards for monitoring client and system outcomes, performance measures, and reporting of information. These processes shall be designed so as to maximize the use of available resources for direct care of the mentally ill;

(3) Minimum service delivery standards;

(4) Priorities for the use of available resources for the care of the mentally ill consistent with the priorities defined in the statute;

(5) Coordination of services within the department, including those divisions within the department that provide services to children, between the department and the office of the superintendent of public instruction, and among state mental hospitals, county authorities, community mental health services, and other support services, which shall to the maximum extent feasible also include the families of the mentally ill, and other service providers; and

(6) Coordination of services aimed at reducing duplication in service delivery and promoting complementary services among all entities that provide mental health services to adults and children.

It is the policy of the state to encourage the provision of a full range of treatment and rehabilitation services in the state for mental disorders. The legislature intends to encourage the development of county-based and county-managed mental health services with adequate local flexibility, consistent with the standard benefit design, to assure eligible people in need of care access to the least-restrictive treatment alternative appropriate to their needs, and the availability of treatment components to assure continuity of care. To this end, counties are encouraged to enter into joint operating agreements with other counties to form regional systems of care which integrate planning, administration, and service delivery duties assigned to counties under chapters 71.05 and 71.24 RCW to consolidate administration, reduce administrative layering, and reduce administrative costs.

It is further the intent of the legislature to integrate the provision of services to provide continuity of care through all phases of treatment. To this end the legislature intends to promote active engagement with mentally ill persons and collaboration between families and service providers.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 71.24 RCW to read as follows:

The department shall operate the community mental health service delivery system authorized under this chapter within the following constraints:

(1) The full amount of federal funds for mental health services, plus qualifying state expenditures as appropriated in the biennial operating budget, shall be appropriated to the department each year in the biennial appropriations act to carry out the provisions of the community mental health service delivery system authorized in this chapter.

(2) The department may expend funds defined in subsection (1) of this section in any manner that will effectively accomplish the outcome measures defined in section 4 of this act. No more than twenty percent of the amount provided in subsection (1) of this section may be spent for administrative purposes. For the purpose of this subsection, "administrative purposes" does not include expenditures for information technology and computerization needed for tracking and monitoring required under RCW 71.24.035.

(3) The department shall implement strategies that accomplish the outcome measures identified in section 4 of this act that are within the funding constraints in this section. The department may transfer appropriation authority between funding categories within the health and rehabilitation services administration, the children and family services administration, the aging and adult services administration, and the medical assistance administration in order to carry out the requirements of this subsection.

(4) The department shall monitor expenditures against the appropriation levels provided for in subsection (1) of this section. The department shall quarterly make a determination as to whether expenditure levels will exceed available funding and communicate its finding to the legislature. If the determination indicates that expenditures will exceed funding at the end of the fiscal year, the department shall take all necessary actions to ensure that all services provided under this chapter shall be made available only to the extent of the availability and level of appropriation made by the legislature.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 71.24 RCW to read as follows:

It is the intent of the legislature that the community mental health service delivery system focus on maintaining mentally ill individuals in the community. The program shall be evaluated and managed through a limited number of performance measures designed to hold each regional support network accountable for program success.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. A new section is added to chapter 71.24 RCW to read as follows:

(1) The department, in collaboration with a work group made up of consumers, service providers, and representatives of regional support networks shall develop performance measures for use in evaluating and managing the community mental health service delivery system authorized under this chapter. The performance measures shall be reviewed, and updated as needed, by January 15th of each odd-numbered year. The performance measures shall be consistent with the provisions of RCW 71.24.405(3) which may include but are not limited to:

(a) Access to services;

(b) Quality and appropriateness of care;

(i) Consumer change over time;

(ii) Percent of consumers who have safe and stable housing;

(iii) Percent of consumers without a jail or detention stay;

(iv) Percent of consumers without a psychiatric hospitalization; and

(d) Structure and plan management.

(2) The department shall require that service providers and regional support networks collect performance measure information and report it to the department regularly. The department shall develop benchmarks that compare performance measure information from all service providers to provide a clear indication of the most effective providers. Benchmark information shall be published quarterly and provided to the legislature, the governor, and all providers of mental health services.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. A new section is added to chapter 71.24 RCW to read as follows:

Every regional support network and mental health services provider shall be evaluated using the criteria in section 4 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. A new section is added to chapter 71.24 RCW to read as follows:

The department shall provide a report to the appropriate committees of the legislature on achievement of the performance measures by regional support networks and service providers on an annual basis, no later than January 15th of each year, beginning in 2002. The report shall include how the department is using the outcome measure information obtained under section 4 of this act to manage the community mental health service delivery system.

Sec. 7. RCW 71.24.025 and 1999 c 10 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.

(1) "Acutely mentally ill" means a condition which is limited to a short-term severe crisis episode of:

(a) A mental disorder as defined in RCW 71.05.020 or, in the case of a child, as defined in RCW 71.34.020;

(b) Being gravely disabled as defined in RCW 71.05.020 or, in the case of a child, a gravely disabled minor as defined in RCW 71.34.020; or

(c) Presenting a likelihood of serious harm as defined in RCW 71.05.020 or, in the case of a child, as defined in RCW 71.34.020.

(2) "Available resources" means funds appropriated for the purpose of providing community mental health programs under RCW 71.24.045, federal funds, except those provided according to Title XIX of the Social Security Act, and state funds appropriated under this chapter or chapter 71.05 RCW by the legislature during any biennium for the purpose of providing residential services, ((~~resource management services,~~)) community support services, and other mental health services. This does not include funds appropriated for the purpose of operating and administering the state psychiatric hospitals, except as negotiated according to RCW 71.24.300(1)(d).

(3) "Child" means a person under the age of eighteen years.

(4) "Chronically mentally ill adult" means an adult who has a mental disorder and meets at least one of the following criteria:

(a) Has undergone two or more episodes of hospital care for a mental disorder within the preceding two years; or

(b) Has experienced a continuous psychiatric hospitalization or residential treatment exceeding six months' duration within the preceding year; or

(c) Has been unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any mental disorder which has lasted for a continuous period of not less than twelve months. "Substantial gainful activity" shall be defined by the department by rule consistent with Public Law 92‑603, as amended.

(5) "Community mental health program" means all mental health services, activities, or programs using available resources.

(6) "Community mental health service delivery system" means public or private agencies that provide services specifically to persons with mental disorders as defined under RCW 71.05.020 and receive funding from public sources.

(7) "Community support services" means services ((~~authorized, planned, and coordinated through resource management services~~)) including, at ((~~least~~)) a minimum, assessment, diagnosis, emergency crisis intervention available twenty-four hours, seven days a week, prescreening determinations for mentally ill persons being considered for placement in nursing homes as required by federal law, screening for patients being considered for admission to residential services, diagnosis and treatment for acutely mentally ill and severely emotionally disturbed children discovered under screening through the federal Title XIX early and periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment program, investigation, legal, and other nonresidential services under chapter 71.05 RCW, case management services, psychiatric treatment including medication supervision, counseling, psychotherapy, assuring transfer of relevant patient information between service providers, and other services determined by regional support networks((~~, and maintenance of a patient tracking system for chronically mentally ill adults and severely emotionally disturbed children~~)).

(8) "County authority" means the board of county commissioners, county council, or county executive having authority to establish a community mental health program, or two or more of the county authorities specified in this subsection which have entered into an agreement to provide a community mental health program.

(9) "Department" means the department of social and health services.

(10) "Licensed service provider" means an entity licensed according to this chapter or chapter 71.05 RCW or an entity deemed to meet state minimum standards as a result of accreditation by a recognized accrediting body that meets state minimum standards or individuals licensed under chapter 18.57, 18.71, 18.83, or 18.79 RCW, as it applies to registered nurses and advanced registered nurse practitioners.

(11) "Mental health services" means all services provided by regional support networks and other services provided by the state for the mentally ill.

(12) "Mentally ill persons" and "the mentally ill" mean persons and conditions defined in subsections (1), (4), ((~~(17)~~)) (16), and ((~~(18)~~)) (17) of this section.

(13) "Regional support network" means a county authority or group of county authorities recognized by the secretary that enter into joint operating agreements to contract with the secretary pursuant to this chapter.

(14) "Residential services" means a complete range of residences and supports ((~~authorized by resource management services and~~)) which may involve a facility, a distinct part thereof, or services which support community living, for acutely mentally ill persons, chronically mentally ill adults, severely emotionally disturbed children, or seriously disturbed adults determined by the regional support network to be at risk of becoming acutely or chronically mentally ill. The services shall include at least evaluation and treatment services as defined in chapter 71.05 RCW, acute crisis respite care, long-term adaptive and rehabilitative care, and supervised and supported living services, and shall also include any residential services developed to service mentally ill persons in nursing homes. Residential services for children in out-of-home placements related to their mental disorder shall not include the costs of food and shelter, except for children's long-term residential facilities existing prior to January 1, 1991.

(15) (("Resource management services" mean the planning, coordination, and authorization of residential services and community support services administered pursuant to an individual service plan for: (a) Acutely mentally ill adults and children; (b) chronically mentally ill adults; (c) severely emotionally disturbed children; or (d) seriously disturbed adults determined solely by a regional support network to be at risk of becoming acutely or chronically mentally ill. Such planning, coordination, and authorization shall include mental health screening for children eligible under the federal Title XIX early and periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment program. Resource management services include seven day a week, twenty-four hour a day availability of information regarding mentally ill adults' and children's enrollment in services and their individual service plan to county-designated mental health professionals, evaluation and treatment facilities, and others as determined by the regional support network.

~~(16)~~)) "Secretary" means the secretary of social and health services.

((~~(17)~~)) (16) "Seriously disturbed person" means a person who:

(a) Is gravely disabled or presents a likelihood of serious harm to himself or herself or others, or to the property of others, as a result of a mental disorder as defined in chapter 71.05 RCW;

(b) Has been on conditional release status, or under a less restrictive alternative order, at some time during the preceding two years from an evaluation and treatment facility or a state mental health hospital;

(d) Exhibits suicidal preoccupation or attempts; or

(e) Is a child diagnosed by a mental health professional, as defined in chapter 71.34 RCW, as experiencing a mental disorder which is clearly interfering with the child's functioning in family or school or with peers or is clearly interfering with the child's personality development and learning.

((~~(18)~~)) (17) "Severely emotionally disturbed child" means a child who has been determined by the regional support network to be experiencing a mental disorder as defined in chapter 71.34 RCW, including those mental disorders that result in a behavioral or conduct disorder, that is clearly interfering with the child's functioning in family or school or with peers and who meets at least one of the following criteria:

(a) Has undergone inpatient treatment or placement outside of the home related to a mental disorder within the last two years;

(b) Has undergone involuntary treatment under chapter 71.34 RCW within the last two years;

(c) Is currently served by at least one of the following child-serving systems: Juvenile justice, child-protection/welfare, special education, or developmental disabilities;

(d) Is at risk of escalating maladjustment due to:

(i) Chronic family dysfunction involving a mentally ill or inadequate caretaker;

(ii) Changes in custodial adult;

(iii) Going to, residing in, or returning from any placement outside of the home, for example, psychiatric hospital, short-term inpatient, residential treatment, group or foster home, or a correctional facility;

(iv) Subject to repeated physical abuse or neglect;

(v) Drug or alcohol abuse; or

(vi) Homelessness.

((~~(19)~~)) (18) "State minimum standards" means minimum requirements established by rules adopted by the secretary and necessary to implement this chapter for: (a) Delivery of mental health services; (b) licensed service providers for the provision of mental health services; (c) residential services; and (d) community support services ((~~and resource management services~~)).

((~~(20)~~)) (19) "Tribal authority," for the purposes of this section and RCW 71.24.300 only, means: The federally recognized Indian tribes and the major Indian organizations recognized by the secretary insofar as these organizations do not have a financial relationship with any regional support network that would present a conflict of interest.

Sec. 8. RCW 71.24.030 and 1999 c 10 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:

The secretary is authorized to make grants to and/or purchase services from counties or combinations of counties in the establishment and operation of community mental health programs.

Sec. 9. RCW 71.24.035 and 1999 c 10 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The department is designated as the state mental health authority.

(2) The secretary ((~~may~~)) shall provide for public, client, and licensed service provider participation in developing and managing the state mental health program, development and negotiation of contracts with regional support networks, and any waiver request to the federal government under medicaid.

(3) The secretary shall provide for participation in developing the state mental health program for children and other underserved populations, by including representatives on any committee established to provide oversight to the state mental health program.

(4) The secretary shall be designated as the county authority if a county fails to meet state minimum standards or refuses to exercise responsibilities under RCW 71.24.045.

(5) The secretary shall:

(a) Develop a biennial plan for the state mental health program that incorporates county biennial needs assessments and county mental health service plans and state services for mentally ill adults and children. The secretary may also develop a six-year state mental health plan. This plan shall include a standard benefit design reflecting the minimum array of services to be provided within available resources;

(b) Assure that any regional or county community mental health program provides access to treatment for the county's residents in the following order of priority: (i) The acutely mentally ill; (ii) chronically mentally ill adults and severely emotionally disturbed children; and (iii) the seriously disturbed. Such programs shall provide:

(A) Outpatient services;

(B) Emergency care services for twenty-four hours per day;

(C) Day treatment for mentally ill persons which includes training in basic living and social skills, supported work, vocational rehabilitation, and day activities. Such services may include therapeutic treatment. In the case of a child, day treatment includes age-appropriate basic living and social skills, educational and prevocational services, day activities, and therapeutic treatment;

(D) Screening for patients being considered for admission to state mental health facilities to determine the appropriateness of admission;

(E) Employment services, which may include supported employment, transitional work, placement in competitive employment, and other work-related services, that result in mentally ill persons becoming engaged in meaningful and gainful full or part-time work. Other sources of funding such as the division of vocational rehabilitation may be utilized by the secretary to maximize federal funding and provide for integration of services;

(F) Consultation and education services; and

(G) Community support services;

(c) Develop and adopt rules establishing state minimum standards for the delivery of mental health services pursuant to RCW 71.24.037 including, but not limited to:

(i) Licensed service providers. The secretary shall provide for deeming of compliance with state minimum standards for those entities accredited by recognized accrediting bodies;

(ii) Regional support networks; and

(iii) ((~~Residential and~~)) Inpatient services, evaluation and treatment services and facilities under chapter 71.05 RCW, ((~~resource management services,~~)) and community support services;

(d) Assure that the special needs of minorities, the elderly, disabled, children, and low-income persons are met within the priorities established in this section;

(e) Establish a standard contract or contracts, consistent with state minimum standards, which shall be used ((~~by the~~)) in contracting with regional support networks or counties;

(f) Establish, to the extent possible, a standardized auditing procedure which minimizes paperwork requirements of county authorities and licensed service providers. The audit procedure shall focus on the outcomes of service and the processes for accomplishing them;

(g) Develop and maintain an information system to be used by the state, counties, and regional support networks that includes a tracking method which allows the department and regional support networks to identify mental health clients' participation in any mental health service or public program on an immediate basis. The information system shall not include individual patient's case history files. Confidentiality of client information and records shall be maintained as provided in this chapter and in RCW 71.05.390, 71.05.400, 71.05.410, 71.05.420, 71.05.430, and 71.05.440. The design of the system and the data elements to be collected shall be evaluated and approved each biennium by a committee appointed by the secretary and representing the department, regional support networks, service providers, consumers, and advocates;

(h) License service providers who meet state minimum standards;

(i) Certify regional support networks that meet state minimum standards;

(j) Periodically ((~~inspect~~)) monitor the compliance of certified regional support networks and their network of licensed service providers for compliance with the contract between the department and the regional support network at reasonable times and in a reasonable manner;

(k) Fix fees to be paid by evaluation and treatment centers to the secretary for the required inspections;

(l) Monitor and audit counties, regional support networks, and licensed service providers as needed to assure compliance with contractual agreements authorized by this chapter; and

(m) Adopt such rules as are necessary to implement the department's responsibilities under this chapter. The secretary may not adopt rules that divert resources from the direct care of the mentally ill unless they are directly required for the health and safety of consumers, the implementation of this chapter, or any federal requirements.

(6) The secretary shall use available resources only for regional support networks.

(7) Each certified regional support network and licensed service provider shall file with the secretary, on request, such data, statistics, schedules, and information as the secretary reasonably requires. The data, statistics, schedules, and information to be collected shall be determined by the committee in (g) of this subsection and explicitly stated in the contract between the department and the regional support network. A certified regional support network or licensed service provider which, without good cause, fails to furnish any data, statistics, schedules, or information as requested, or files fraudulent reports thereof, may have its certification or license revoked or suspended.

(8) The secretary may suspend, revoke, limit, or restrict a certification or license, or refuse to grant a certification or license for failure to conform to: (a) The law; (b) applicable rules and regulations; (c) applicable standards; or (d) state minimum standards.

(9) The superior court may restrain any regional support network or service provider from operating without certification or a license or any other violation of this section. The court may also review, pursuant to procedures contained in chapter 34.05 RCW, any denial, suspension, limitation, restriction, or revocation of certification or license, and grant other relief required to enforce the provisions of this chapter.

(10) Upon petition by the secretary, and after hearing held upon reasonable notice to the facility, the superior court may issue a warrant to an officer or employee of the secretary authorizing him or her to enter at reasonable times, and examine the records, books, and accounts of any regional support network or service provider refusing to consent to inspection or examination by the authority.

(11) Notwithstanding the existence or pursuit of any other remedy, the secretary may file an action for an injunction or other process against any person or governmental unit to restrain or prevent the establishment, conduct, or operation of a regional support network or service provider without certification or a license under this chapter.

(12) The standards for certification of evaluation and treatment facilities shall include standards relating to maintenance of good physical and mental health and other services to be afforded persons pursuant to this chapter and chapters 71.05 and 71.34 RCW, and shall otherwise assure the effectuation of the purposes of these chapters.

(13)(a) The department, in consultation with affected parties, shall establish a distribution formula that reflects county needs assessments based on the number of persons who are acutely mentally ill, chronically mentally ill, severely emotionally disturbed children, and seriously disturbed. The formula shall take into consideration the impact on counties of demographic factors in counties which result in concentrations of priority populations as set forth in subsection (5)(b) of this section. These factors shall include the population concentrations resulting from commitments under chapters 71.05 and 71.34 RCW to state psychiatric hospitals, as well as concentration in urban areas, at border crossings at state boundaries, and other significant demographic and workload factors.

(b) The formula shall also include a projection of the funding allocations that will result for each county, which specifies allocations according to priority populations, including the allocation for services to children and other underserved populations.

(14) The secretary shall assume all duties assigned to the nonparticipating counties under chapters 71.05, 71.34, and 71.24 RCW. Such responsibilities shall include those which would have been assigned to the nonparticipating counties under regional support networks.

The regional support networks, or the secretary's assumption of all responsibilities under chapters 71.05, 71.34, and 71.24 RCW, shall be included in all state and federal plans affecting the state mental health program including at least those required by this chapter, the medicaid program, and P.L. 99‑660. Nothing in these plans shall be inconsistent with the intent and requirements of this chapter.

(15) The secretary shall:

(a) Disburse funds for the regional support networks within sixty days of approval of the biennial contract. The department must either approve or reject the biennial contract within sixty days of receipt.

(b) Enter into biennial contracts with regional support networks. The contracts shall be consistent with available resources. No contract shall be approved that does not include progress toward meeting the goals of this chapter by taking responsibility for: (i) Short-term commitments; (ii) residential care; and (iii) emergency response systems.

(c) Allocate one hundred percent of available resources to the regional support networks in accordance with subsection (13) of this section.

(d) Notify regional support networks of their allocation of available resources at least sixty days prior to the start of a new biennial contract period.

(e) Deny funding allocations to regional support networks based solely upon formal findings of noncompliance with the terms of the regional support network's contract with the department. Written notice and at least thirty days for corrective action must precede any such action. In such cases, regional support networks shall have full rights to appeal under chapter 34.05 RCW.

(f) Identify in its departmental biennial operating and capital budget requests the funds requested by regional support networks to implement their responsibilities under this chapter. The department shall also submit this information to the fiscal committees of the senate and house of representatives no later than December 22nd of each even-numbered year.

(16) The department, in cooperation with the state congressional delegation, shall actively seek waivers of federal requirements and such modifications of federal regulations as are necessary to allow federal medicaid reimbursement for services provided by free-standing evaluation and treatment facilities certified under chapter 71.05 RCW. It is the intent of the legislature that the department take great care to avoid, in the processing of a waiver request, creating requirements that divert available resources from direct care. The department shall periodically report its efforts to the health and long-term care ((~~and corrections~~)) committee of the senate and the ((~~human services~~)) health care committee of the house of representatives.

(17) The secretary shall establish a task force to examine the recruitment, training, and compensation of qualified mental health professionals in the community, which shall include the advantages and disadvantages of establishing a training academy, loan forgiveness program, or educational stipends offered in exchange for commitments of employment in mental health. The task force shall report its findings and recommendations to the secretary and the appropriate committees of the legislature by October 15, 2002.

Sec. 10. RCW 71.24.037 and 1999 c 10 s 5 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The secretary shall by rule establish state minimum standards for licensed service providers and services.

(2) Minimum standards for licensed service providers shall, at a minimum, establish: Qualifications for staff providing services directly to mentally ill persons, the intended result of each service, and the rights and responsibilities of persons receiving mental health services pursuant to this chapter. The secretary shall deem licensed service providers as meeting state minimum standards as a result of accreditation by a recognized accrediting body.

(3) ((Minimum standards for residential services shall be based on clients' functional abilities and not solely on their diagnoses, limited to health and safety, staff qualifications, and program outcomes. Minimum standards for residential services shall be developed in collaboration with consumers, families, counties, regulators, and residential providers serving the mentally ill. The minimum standards shall encourage the development of broad-range residential programs, including integrated housing and cross-systems programs where appropriate, and shall not unnecessarily restrict programming flexibility.

~~(4)~~)) Minimum standards for community support services ((~~and resource management services~~)) shall include at least qualifications for ((~~resource management services,~~)) client tracking systems((,)) and the transfer of patient information between service providers.

Sec. 11. RCW 71.24.045 and 1992 c 230 s 5 are each amended to read as follows:

The county authority shall:

(1) Contract as needed with licensed service providers. The county authority may, in the absence of a licensed service provider entity, become a licensed service provider entity pursuant to minimum standards required for licensing by the department for the purpose of providing services not available from licensed service providers;

(2) Operate as a licensed service provider if it deems that doing so is more efficient and cost effective than contracting for services. When doing so, the county authority shall comply with rules promulgated by the secretary that shall provide measurements to determine when a county provided service is more efficient and cost effective;

(3) Monitor and perform biennial fiscal audits of licensed service providers who have contracted with the county to provide services required by this chapter. The monitoring and audits shall be performed by means of a formal process which insures that the licensed service providers and professionals designated in this subsection meet the terms of their contracts((~~, including the minimum standards of service delivery as established by the department~~));

(4) Assure that the special needs of minorities, the elderly, disabled, children, and low‑income persons are met within the priorities established in this chapter;

(5) Maintain patient tracking information in a central location as required for ((~~resource management services~~)) the department's information system;

(6) Use not more than two percent of state‑appropriated community mental health funds, which shall not include federal funds, to administer community mental health programs under RCW 71.24.155: PROVIDED, That county authorities serving a county or combination of counties whose population is one hundred twenty‑five thousand or more may be entitled to sufficient state‑appropriated community mental health funds to employ up to one full‑time employee or the equivalent thereof in addition to the two percent limit established in this subsection when such employee is providing staff services to a county mental health advisory board;

(7) Coordinate services for individuals who have received services through the community mental health system and who become patients at a state mental hospital.

(8) If the county is participating in a regional support network, the county authority may delegate these responsibilities to the regional support network. The county may retain the right to select service providers or to operate as a service provider.

Sec. 12. RCW 71.24.049 and 1999 c 10 s 6 are each amended to read as follows:

By January 1st of each odd-numbered year, the county authority or regional support network, where in place, shall identify: (1) The number of children in each priority group, as defined by this chapter, who are receiving mental health services funded in part or in whole under this chapter, (2) the amount of funds under this chapter used for children's mental health services, (3) an estimate of the number of unserved children in each priority group, and (4) the estimated cost of serving these additional children and their families.

Sec. 13. RCW 71.24.155 and 1987 c 505 s 65 are each amended to read as follows:

Grants shall be made by the department to counties or regional support networks, where in place, for community mental health programs totaling not less than ninety-five percent of available resources. The department may use up to forty percent of the remaining five percent to provide community demonstration projects, including early intervention or primary prevention programs for children, and the remainder shall be for emergency needs and technical assistance under this chapter.

Sec. 14. RCW 71.24.160 and 1989 c 205 s 7 are each amended to read as follows:

The county authority or regional support networks, where in place, shall make satisfactory showing to the secretary that state funds shall in no case be used to replace local funds from any source being used to finance mental health services prior to January 1, 1990.

Sec. 15. RCW 71.24.250 and 1982 c 204 s 14 are each amended to read as follows:

The county authority or regional support network, where in place, may accept and expend gifts and grants received from private, county, state, and federal sources.

Sec. 16. RCW 71.24.300 and 1999 c 214 s 8 and 1999 c 10 s 9 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

A county authority or a group of county authorities whose combined population is no less than forty thousand may enter into a joint operating agreement to form a regional support network. Upon the request of a tribal authority or authorities within a regional support network the joint operating agreement or the county authority shall allow for the inclusion of the tribal authority to be represented as a party to the regional support network. The roles and responsibilities of the county and tribal authorities shall be determined by the terms of that agreement including a determination of membership on the governing board and advisory committees, the number of tribal representatives to be party to the agreement, and the provisions of law and shall assure the provision of culturally competent services to the tribes served. The state mental health authority may not determine the roles and responsibilities of county authorities as to each other under regional support networks by rule, except to assure that all duties required of regional support networks are assigned and that counties and the regional support network do not duplicate functions and that a single authority has final responsibility for all available resources and performance under the regional support network's contract with the secretary.

(1) Regional support networks shall submit an overall six‑year operating and capital plan, timeline, and budget and submit progress reports and an updated two‑year plan biennially thereafter, to assume within available resources all of the following duties:

(a) Administer and provide for the availability of all ((~~resource management services,~~)) residential services((,)) and community support services.

(b) Assume the powers and duties of county authorities within its area as described in RCW 71.24.045 (1) through (8).

(c) Administer and provide for the availability of all investigation, transportation, court‑related, and other services provided by the state or counties pursuant to chapter 71.05 RCW.

((~~(c)~~)) (d) Provide within the boundaries of each regional support network evaluation and treatment services for at least eighty‑five percent of persons detained or committed for periods up to seventeen days according to chapter 71.05 RCW. Regional support networks with populations of less than one hundred fifty thousand may contract to purchase evaluation and treatment services from other networks. Insofar as the original intent of serving persons in the community is maintained, the secretary is authorized to approve exceptions on a case-by-case basis to the requirement to provide evaluation and treatment services within the boundaries of each regional support network. Such exceptions are limited to contracts with neighboring or contiguous regions.

((~~(d)~~)) (e) Administer a portion of funds appropriated by the legislature to house mentally ill persons in state institutions from counties within the boundaries of any regional support network, with the exception of persons currently confined at, or under the supervision of, a state mental hospital pursuant to chapter 10.77 RCW, and provide for the care of all persons needing evaluation and treatment services for periods up to seventeen days according to chapter 71.05 RCW in appropriate residential services, which may include state institutions. The regional support networks shall reimburse the state for use of state institutions at a rate equal to that assumed by the legislature when appropriating funds for such care at state institutions during the biennium when reimbursement occurs. The secretary shall submit a report to the appropriate committees of the senate and house of representatives on the efforts to implement this section by October 15, 2002. The duty of a state hospital to accept persons for evaluation and treatment under chapter 71.05 RCW is limited by the responsibilities assigned to regional support networks under this section.

((~~(e)~~)) (f) Administer and provide for ((the availability of all other mental health services, which shall include patient counseling, day treatment, consultation, education services, employment services as defined in RCW 71.24.035, and mental health services to children as provided in this chapter.

~~(f) Establish standards and procedures for reviewing individual service plans and determining when that person may be discharged from resource management services~~)), at a minimum, the standard benefit package defined by the department.

(2) Regional support networks shall assume all duties assigned to county authorities by this chapter and chapter 71.05 RCW.

(3) A regional support network may request that any state‑owned land, building, facility, or other capital asset which was ever purchased, deeded, given, or placed in trust for the care of the mentally ill and which is within the boundaries of a regional support network be made available to support the operations of the regional support network. State agencies managing such capital assets shall give first priority to requests for their use pursuant to this chapter.

(4) Each regional support network shall appoint a mental health advisory board which shall review and provide comments on plans and policies developed under this chapter. The composition of the board shall be broadly representative of the demographic character of the region and the mentally ill persons served therein. Length of terms of board members shall be determined by the regional support network.

(5) Regional support networks shall assume all duties specified in their plans and joint operating agreements through biennial contractual agreements with the secretary. ((Such contracts may include agreements to provide periods of stable community living and work or other day activities for specific chronically mentally ill persons who have completed commitments at state hospitals on ninety‑day or one hundred eighty‑day civil commitments or who have been residents at state hospitals for no less than one hundred eighty days within the previous year. Periods of stable community living may involve acute care in local evaluation and treatment facilities but may not involve use of state hospitals.))

(6) Counties or groups of counties participating in a regional support network are not subject to RCW 71.24.045(6).

(7) As part of each biennial plan, each regional support network shall establish and submit to the state, procedures and agreements to assure access to sufficient additional local evaluation and treatment facilities to meet the requirements of this chapter while reducing short‑term admissions to state hospitals. ((These shall be commitments to construct and operate, or contract for the operation of, freestanding evaluation and treatment facilities or agreements with local evaluation and treatment facilities which shall include (a) required admission and treatment for short‑term inpatient care for any person enrolled in community support or residential services, (b) discharge planning procedures, (c) limitations on admissions or transfers to state hospitals, (d) adequate psychiatric supervision, (e) prospective payment methods, and (f) contractual assurances regarding referrals to local evaluation and treatment facilities from regional support networks.))

(8) Regional support networks may receive technical assistance from the housing trust fund and may identify and submit projects for housing and housing support services to the housing trust fund established under chapter 43.185 RCW. Projects identified or submitted under this subsection must be fully integrated with the regional support network six‑year operating and capital plan, timeline, and budget required by subsection (1) of this section.

Sec. 17. RCW 71.24.310 and 1989 c 205 s 6 are each amended to read as follows:

The legislature finds that administration of chapter 71.05 RCW and this chapter can be most efficiently and effectively implemented as part of the regional support network defined in RCW 71.24.025. For this reason, the legislature intends that any enhanced program funding for implementation of chapter 71.05 RCW or this chapter, except for funds allocated for implementation of mandatory statewide programs as required by federal statute, be made available ((~~primarily~~)) only to those counties participating in regional support networks.

Sec. 18. RCW 71.24.400 and 1999 c 10 s 10 are each amended to read as follows:

The legislature finds that the current complex set of federal, state, and local rules and regulations, audited and administered at multiple levels, which affect the community mental health service delivery system, focus primarily on the process of providing mental health services and do not sufficiently address consumer and system outcomes. The legislature finds that the department and the community mental health service delivery system must make ongoing efforts to achieve the purposes set forth in RCW 71.24.015 related to reduced administrative layering, duplication, elimination of process measures, and reduced administrative costs.

Sec. 19. RCW 71.24.405 and 1999 c 10 s 11 are each amended to read as follows:

The department shall establish a ((~~single~~)) comprehensive and collaborative ((~~project~~)) effort within regional support networks and with local mental health service providers aimed at creating innovative and streamlined community mental health service delivery systems, in order to carry out the purposes set forth in RCW 71.24.400 and to capture the diversity of the community mental health service delivery system.

The ((~~project~~)) department must accomplish the following:

(1) Identification, review, and cataloging of all rules, regulations, duplicative administrative and monitoring functions, and other requirements that currently lead to inefficiencies in the community mental health service delivery system and, if possible, eliminate the requirements;

(2) The systematic and incremental development of a single system of accountability for all federal, state, and local funds provided to the community mental health service delivery system. Systematic efforts should be made to include federal and local funds into the single system of accountability;

(3) The elimination of process regulations and related contract and reporting requirements. In place of the regulations and requirements, a set of outcomes for mental health adult and children clients according to chapter 71.24 RCW must be used to measure the performance of mental health service providers and regional support networks. Such outcomes shall focus on stabilizing out-of-home and hospital care, increasing stable community living, increasing age-appropriate activities, achieving family and consumer satisfaction with services, and system efficiencies;

(4) Evaluation of the feasibility of contractual agreements between the department of social and health services and regional support networks and mental health service providers that link financial incentives to the success or failure of mental health service providers and regional support networks to meet outcomes established for mental health service clients;

(5) The involvement of mental health consumers and their representatives ((~~in the pilot projects~~)). Mental health consumers and their representatives will be involved in the development of outcome standards for mental health clients under section 4 of this act and other related aspects of the pilot projects; and

(6) An independent evaluation component to measure the success of the ((~~projects~~)) department in fully implementing the provisions of RCW 71.24.400 and this section.