BILL NUMBER: S5960

SPONSOR: SAVINO
 
TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the social services law, in relation
to making care and services provided by licensed clinical social workers
eligible for coverage under the Medicaid program

 
PURPOSE:

Makes care and services provided by licensed clinical social workers
eligible for coverage under Medicaid.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Amends Subdivision 2 of section 365-a of the social services law to
clinical social workers licensed pursuant to Article 154 of the Educa-
tion law to bill Medicaid directly for their services within their scope
of practice.

 
JUSTIFICATION:
              

This bill would allow Licensed Clinical Social Workers to directly bill
Medicaid for their services. Licensed Clinical Social Workers represent
the largest group of mental health practitioners in the nation. They are
often the first to diagnose and treat people with mental disorders and
various emotional and behavioral disturbances.  Clinical Social Workers
are essential to a variety of client-centered settings, including commu-
nity mental health centers, hospitals, substance use treatment and
recovery programs, schools, primary health care centers, child welfare
agencies, aging services, employee assistance programs, and private
practice settings.

Licensed Clinical Social Work has a primary focus on the emotional, and
mental health of individuals, couples, families, and groups and by defi-
nition, includes the scope of practice of the LMSW, diagnosis of mental,
emotional, behavioral, addictive and developmental disorders and disa-
bilities, the development and implementation of appropriate assessment-
based treatment plans; and the provision of crisis oriented psychothera-
py, including brief, short-term and long-term psychotherapy and
psychotherapeutic treatment. in addition, given their unique training,
LCSW's are the only licensed mental health professionals that assess the
person-in-environment, a practice-guiding principle that highlights the
importance of understanding an individual and individual behavior in
light of the environmental contexts in which that person lives and acts
(family finances, connections, living situation, religion, employment,
etc.,) Further, Article 163 of the Education Law authorizes a qualified
LCSW to practice mental health counseling, marriage and family therapy,
creative arts therapy or psychoanalysis. Given the breadth of the above,
clearly, LCSW's are a vital component of the community mental health
system and as such, should have authorization to directly bill Medicaid
for their services, thus broadening access to crucial mental health
services.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2019 Session - new bill

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
90th day after becoming law