ORS 417.470: Cross-agency coordination support for multi-system involved children and youth; rules.

(1) As used in this section: (a) “Child” means an individual under 18 years of age. (b) “Medicaid/CHIP Operations Coordination Steering Committee” means the committee comprised of executive level staff and subject matter experts that is required by the terms of the state’s Home and Community-Based Services waiver, under 42 U.S.C. 1396n(c), to meet at least quarterly to coordinate all mutual policy issues related to the operation and administration of the state’s medical assistance programs, including state plan amendments, waiver requests, rules, procedures and interpretive guidance. (c) “Multi-system involved child or youth” means a child or youth who is concurrently involved in two or more of the child welfare, mental health, juvenile justice, special education, developmental disability services or aging and persons with disabilities services systems. (d) “Serious emotional disturbance” means a mental, behavioral or emotional disorder, regardless of origin, that: (A) Is of sufficient duration to be diagnosed by a qualified licensed health provider utilizing the diagnostic criteria specified in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association; and (B) Has resulted in a functional impairment that substantially interferes with or limits the individual’s role or functioning in family, school or community activities. (e) “Wraparound team” means a group of people chosen by a child or youth and connected to the child or youth through natural, community and formal support systems, who develop and implement the child or youth and the family’s plan to address unmet needs and work toward the child or youth and family’s vision and team mission. (f) “Youth” means an individual 18 through 20 years of age. (2) In consultation with the Medicaid/CHIP Operations Coordination Steering Committee, the Department of Human Services and the Oregon Health Authority shall adopt rules necessary to facilitate cross-agency coordination that supports each multi-system involved child or youth who is eligible for services and supports funded through the Community First Choice Option under 42 U.S.C. 1396n(k) or the state plan for medical assistance to have all of the assessed needs of the child or youth fully met, including through the use of available natural and community supports, while avoiding the duplication of services. At a minimum, the rules must: (a) Clarify the roles of wraparound teams, community developmental disabilities programs, children’s intensive in-home services providers, schools, child welfare programs and other relevant entities in the determination of a multi-system involved child or youth’s level of care needs and an assessment of the functional and service coordination needs of each child or youth; (b) Streamline the application and eligibility determination process by allowing each multi-system involved child or youth’s assessment, application and service plan to be shared across all relevant systems to the maximum extent permitted by state and federal law; (c) Ensure that each child or youth who experiences intellectual or developmental disabilities in addition to mental illness or a substance use disorder is provided simultaneous access to services and support offered by each agency serving the child or youth without delay; (d) Prohibit any agency, program or provider from denying mental or behavioral health services to a child or youth because the child or youth has an intellectual or developmental disability or a substance use disorder, including alcohol use disorder, in addition to the child or youth’s mental illness or serious emotional disturbance; (e) Ensure coordination between public agencies that serve multi-system involved children or youth: (A) To support each multi-system involved child or youth to enable the child or youth to remain in the community and avoid health crises, hospitalizations or out-of-home placements; (B) With a focus of the coordination being on prevention, recovery and support, recognizing the unique strengths and potential of each multi-system involved child or youth; and (f) Support children or youth and their families to access the appropriate comprehensive home and community-based services and supports that prevent crises from happening or reoccurring and that provide support and stabilization in the event of a crisis. (3) In adopting rules under this section, the department and the authority shall appoint a rules advisory committee that includes youth who are or who were multi-system involved children or youth, and their families. [2024 c.96 §3]