Special Provisions

Directors, NCACBSS, NCSSA

Wanted to give you just a few highlights of changes in the Special Provisions of the Ratified Budget Bill. You can find all of the special provisions by going to www.ncga.state.nc.us and clicking on the "Enacted State Budget Bill for 2003-2005" on the right hand side of the web page. The pages that cover DHHS (if you pull it up in PDF form)  are 66-117. If you cannot use PDF and pull it up in web version just go to section 10.1.

Section 10.26  Transfer of property for purposes of qualifying for medical assistance:

Eliminated the section that made people ineligible to receive medical assistance benefits if they sold their property one year prior to applying for services and changed it to say within the time period mandated by controlling federal law.

It added language that real and personal property includes real property, excluding a homesite, "unless other applicable federal or State law requires the homesite to be counted for transfer of property purposes"

Some additional language was changed in section (c) (d) and (g) concerning uncompensated value.

Section 10.29  Health Choice

(B)(3) Added language "The Department may provide services to children aged birth through five years enrolled in the Program through the State Medical Assistance managed care program. Services provided through the managed care program shall be paid from Program funds."

(D)Added language: Fees for outpatient prescription drugs are applicable and shall be $1.00 for each outpatient generic prescription drug and outpatient brand -name prescription drug for which there is no generic substitution available. Outpatient brand-name prescription drugs is $3.00.

For families with income above the 150% a change was made for prescription drugs to $1.00 for generic and brand-names that without generic substitutes. Brand-name drugs changed to $10.00.

Section 10.45 Special Needs Adoptions Incentive Fund

This section discusses a Special Needs Adoptions Incentive Fund that provides financial assistance to facilitate the adoption of certain children residing in licensed foster care homes.

Section 10.46 Foster Care and Adoption Assistance Payments

This is the section where the $50 foster care rate increase can be found. Because this is a special provision we can seek to increase it in the short session next year.

Section 10.51 (a) Special Assistance In-Home Program

This section increased the number of slots available in the SA Demo from 400 to 800 total for FY 03-05. We had asked that it been increased to 1200 slots in 03-04 but after hearing some of the discussions in committee we were pleased to receive any increase and not be cut. Because this is a special provision we can seek to increase it in the short session next year.

Section 10.56 Child Welfare System Pilot Programs (MRS)

This section increases the number of MRS pilot sites to no fewer than 10 and no more than 33 demonstration areas. DSS may exceed the maximum number of demonstration areas if a county specifically request inclusion and the Division determines that resources are available.