[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3195 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3195
To provide assistance to adolescents and young adults with serious
mental health disorders as they transition to adulthood.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 25, 2008
Mr. Smith (for himself and Mr. Dodd) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide assistance to adolescents and young adults with serious
mental health disorders as they transition to adulthood.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Healthy Transition Act of 2008''.
SEC. 2. HEALTHY TRANSITIONING FOR YOUTH.
Subpart 3 of part B of title V of the Public Health Service Act (42
U.S.C. 290bb-31 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 520K. HEALTHY TRANSITIONING FOR YOUTH.
``(a) Planning Grants.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary, in consultation with the
agencies described in subsection (c)(3), shall award grants or
cooperative agreements to States to develop plans for the
statewide coordination of services to assist adolescents and
young adults with a serious mental health disorder in acquiring
the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to ensure their
healthy transition to successful adult roles and
responsibilities.
``(2) Application.--To be eligible for a grant or
cooperative agreement under this subsection, a State shall
submit to the Secretary an application, at such time, in such
manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may
require.
``(3) Plan.--Not later than 18 months after the receipt of
a grant or cooperative agreement under this subsection, a State
shall submit to the Secretary a State plan that shall include--
``(A) reliable estimates on the number of
adolescents and young adults with serious mental health
disorders in the State;
``(B) information on the youth targeted under this
Act, including--
``(i) the number of adolescents and young
adults with serious mental health disorders in
the State and the number of such individuals
who are currently being served in the State;
``(ii) the number of such individuals who
are receiving mental health services provided
by State agencies other than the agency
responsible for mental health services in the
State;
``(iii) the number of youth with serious
mental health disorders who are involved in the
juvenile justice system in the State;
``(iv) the number of youth with serious
mental health disorders who are involved in the
child protection system in the State;
``(v) the number of youth with serious
mental health disorders who have plans in
effect under the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act in the State;
``(vi) the number of youth with serious
mental health disorders who are involved in
vocational rehabilitation in the State;
``(vii) the range of ages served by the
programs described in clauses (i) through (vi);
and
``(viii) a description of the overall
transition coordination that is currently
provided by the State or local authorities and
programs in the State;
``(C) an identification of the skills, knowledge,
and resources that adolescents and young adults with
serious mental health disorders in the State will need
to ensure their successful and healthy transition into
adult roles and responsibilities;
``(D) an identification of the obstacles that
adolescents and young adults with serious mental health
disorders in the State encounter while transitioning
into adult roles and responsibilities, including breaks
in service or programs caused by eligibility and
program criteria differences between the child and
adult mental health systems and the lack of local
access to mental health and transition services;
``(E) an identification of the current level, type,
quality, effectiveness, and availability of services,
including evidence-based practices, available in the
State that are uniquely designed for adolescents and
young adults with a serious mental health disorder to
ensure a healthy transition to successful adult roles
and responsibilities;
``(F) an identification of adolescents and young
adults with a serious emotional disorder who have a low
likelihood of a healthy and successful transition due
to the severity of their illness, and an identification
of how the State will provide treatment and other
support services to this population;
``(G) an analyses of the strengths, weaknesses, and
gaps of the current system in the State, including the
availability of lack of mental health professionals
trained to treat adolescents and young adults with a
serious mental health disorder, as well as barriers, to
address the needs of adolescents and young adults with
a serious mental health disorder with an appropriate
array of effective services and supports;
``(H) a description of how the State will improve
the system of care to ensure successful and healthy
transitions;
``(I) a description of how the State will
coordinate the services of State and non-State agencies
that serve adolescents and young adults with a serious
mental health disorder;
``(J) a description of how the State will provide a
system of coordinated service delivery under the grant
or cooperative agreement that will address the
effective services, supports, and unique needs of
adolescents and young adults with a serious mental
disorder, including those who have been placed in out
of home settings such as the juvenile justice system or
those who are or were involved in the child protection
systems;
``(K) a description of how the State will
coordinate efforts under the grant or cooperative
agreement with existing services and systems in the
State that focus on life skills necessary for a healthy
transition including health, employment and pre-
employment training, transportation, housing,
recreation, mental health services, substance abuse,
vocational rehabilitation services for persons with
disabilities, and training for adolescents, young
adults and adults, consumers and their families;
``(L) a description of how the State will work to
build workforce capacity to serve the population
described in subparagraph (J);
``(M) a description of how the State will reach out
to the target population pre-transition, during
transition, and post-transition;
``(N) a description of how the State is currently
utilizing and leveraging (and how the State will use
and leverage) Federal funding streams to care for the
target population, including funding through Medicaid,
the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the
Department of Labor though supported employment, the
Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment
Program, and other programs, and including an outline
of the barriers the State faces in making Federal
funding flow to the targeted population in a
coordinated manner;
``(O) a description of how the State will involve
adolescents and young adults with serious mental health
disorders and their families and guardians in the
service design, planning, and implementation of the
plan under the grant or cooperative agreement;
``(P) an implementation subplan that shall be
designed to recognize the challenges of implementing a
program between communities at a statewide level and
how the State will overcome those challenges;
``(Q) a description of how the State plans to
evaluate outcomes under the program funded under the
grant or cooperative agreement;
``(R) a designation of the State office that will
be the lead agency responsible for administering the
program under the grant or cooperative agreement;
``(S) a description of how the State will ensure
that the activities planned under the grant or
cooperative agreement will remain sustainable at the
end of the cycle of Federal funding under this section;
and
``(T) any other information determined appropriate
by the Secretary.
``(4) Duration of support.--The duration of a grant or
cooperative agreement under this subsection shall not exceed 2
fiscal years.
``(5) Technical assistance.--The Secretary shall provide
technical assistance and training in the development of the
plan under paragraph (3), including convening a meeting of
potential applicants for grants or cooperative agreement under
this subsection.
``(6) Authorization of appropriations.--
``(A) In general.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this subsection, $6,000,000
for fiscal year 2009, and such sums as may be necessary
for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2013.
``(B) Technical assistance.--The Secretary shall
make available 15 percent of the amount appropriated
under subparagraph (A) in each fiscal year for
technical assistance under paragraph (5).
``(b) Implementation Grants.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall award grants or
cooperative agreement to eligible States for the coordination
of services to assist adolescents and young adults with serious
mental health disorders in acquiring the services, skills, and
knowledge necessary to ensure their healthy transition to
successful adult roles and responsibilities.
``(2) Eligibility.--To be eligible for a grant or
cooperative agreement under paragraph (1), a State shall--
``(A) be a State that has received a grant or
cooperative agreement under subsection (a) and
submitted a plan that meets the requirements of
paragraph (3) of such subsection; or
``(B) be a State that has not received such a grant
or cooperative agreement but that has a plan that is
equivalent to the plan required under subsection
(a)(3).
``(3) Application.--To be eligible for a grant or
cooperative agreement under this subsection, a State shall
submit to the Secretary an application, at such time, in such
manner, and containing such information as the Secretary
requires, including--
``(A) a copy of the plan submitted under subsection
(a)(3), or in the case of a State described in
paragraph (2)(B), a plan that is equivalent to the plan
required under subsection (a)(3);
``(B) a list of the State agencies that will
participate in the program to be funded under the grant
or cooperative agreement along with written
verification as to the commitment of such agencies to
the program;
``(C) an assurance that the State will develop a
coordinating committee composed of representatives of
the participating State agencies, as well as consumers
and families of consumers;
``(D) a description of the role of such
coordinating committee; and
``(E) the names of at least two local communities
that will implement the program at the local level and
how those communities will implement the State plan.
``(4) Use of funds.--Funds provided under a grant or
cooperative agreement under this subsection shall be used to
implement the State plan, including--
``(A) facilitating a youth ombudsman or other
advocacy program;
``(B) facilitating peer support programs and
networks within the State;
``(C) facilitating access to independent living and
life skills supports;
``(D) developing infrastructure to support access
to necessary health, mental health, employment,
education, and housing supports; and
``(E) facilitating the training of support
providers and workforce capacity to serve the target
population.
``(5) Duration of support.--The duration of a grant or
cooperative agreement under this subsection shall not exceed 5
fiscal years.
``(6) Matching requirement.--
``(A) In general.--To be eligible for a grant or
cooperative agreement under this subsection, the State
shall agree that, with respect to the costs to be
incurred by the State in carrying out activities under
the grant or cooperative agreement, the State will make
available (directly or through donations from public or
private entities) non-Federal contributions toward such
costs in an amount that--
``(i) for the first fiscal year for which
the State receives payments under the grant or
cooperative agreement, is not less than $1 for
each $3 of Federal funds provided under the
grant or cooperative agreement;
``(ii) for any second or third such fiscal
year, is not less than $1 for each $2 of
Federal funds provided under the grant or
cooperative agreement;
``(iii) for any fourth such fiscal year, is
not less than $1 for each $1 of Federal funds
provided under the grant or cooperative
agreement; and
``(iv) for any fifth such fiscal year, is
not less than $2 for each $1 of Federal funds
provided under the grant or cooperative
agreement.
``(B) Determination of amount contributed.--
``(i) In general.--Non-Federal
contributions required under subparagraph (A)
may be in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated,
including plant, equipment, or services.
Amounts provided by the Federal Government, or
services assisted or subsidized to any
significant extent by the Federal Government,
may not be included in determining the amount
of such non-Federal contributions.
``(ii) Non-federal contributions.--In
making a determination of the amount of non-
Federal contributions for purposes of clause
(i), the Secretary may include only non-Federal
contributions in excess of the average amount
of non-Federal contributions made by the State
involved toward the purpose of the grant or
cooperative agreement under this subsection for
the 2-year period preceding the first fiscal
year for which the State receives a grant or
cooperative agreement under such subsection.
``(7) Technical assistance.--The Secretary shall provide
technical assistance and training to recipients of grants or
cooperative agreements under this subsection, including
convening meetings each year to identify ways of improving
State programs. Such meetings shall include the members of the
Federal Partners Committee under subsection (c).
``(8) Evaluation.--The Secretary shall carry out a cross-
site evaluation that--
``(A) reports on current State efforts to
transition the population involved prior to the
implementation of the State plans under this section;
and
``(B) evaluates the program carried out by the
State under this section to determine the effectiveness
of such program in meeting its goals and objectives as
compared with current approaches.
``(9) Authorization of appropriations.--
``(A) In general.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this subsection, $6,000,000
for each of fiscal years 2009 and 2010, $15,000,000 for
fiscal year 2011, $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2012, and
$25,000,000 for fiscal year 2013.
``(B) Technical assistance and evaluation.--The
Secretary shall make available 15 percent of the amount
appropriated under subparagraph (A), or $2,000,000
whichever is greater, in each fiscal year for technical
assistance under paragraph (7) and the evaluation under
paragraph (8).
``(c) Federal Partners.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall designate an
existing Federal entity, or establish a Committee of Federal
Partners, to coordinate service programs to assist adolescents
and young adults with serious mental health disorders in
acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary for them to
transition into adult roles and responsibilities.
``(2) Existing federal entity.--If the Secretary elects to
utilize an existing Federal entity under paragraph (1), the
Secretary shall ensure that--
``(A) such entity is comprised of representatives
of at least the agencies described in paragraph (3);
and
``(B) such entity shall give special attention to
the knowledge and skills needed by adolescents and
young adults with mental health disorders in
coordinating the programs funded under this section.
``(3) Membership.--A Federal entity utilized under this
subsection, or a committee established under paragraph (1),
shall include representatives of--
``(A) the Department of Education (or any subagency
of the Department);
``(B) the Department of Health and Human Services
(or any subagency of the Department);
``(C) the Department of Labor (or any subagency of
the Department);
``(D) the Department of Transportation (or any
subagency of the Department);
``(E) the Department of Housing and Urban
Development (or any subagency of the Department);
``(F) the Department of Interior (or any subagency
of the Department);
``(G) the Department of Justice (or any subagency
of the Department);
``(H) the Social Security Administration;
``(I) an organization representing consumers and
families of consumers as designated by the Secretary;
and
``(J) an organization representing mental health
and behavioral health professionals as designated by
the Secretary.
``(4) Role of entity or committee.--The Federal entity or
committee designated or established under paragraph (1) shall
review how Federal programs and efforts that address issues
related to the transition of adolescents and young adults with
serious mental health disorders may be coordinated to ensure
the maximum benefit for the individuals being served and to
provide technical assistance to the States who are planning or
implementing programs under this section.
``(5) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Federal entity or committee
designated or established under paragraph (1) shall submit to
the appropriate committees of Congress, and make available to
the general public, a report concerning the participation of
Federal agencies and stakeholders in the planning and
operations of the entity or committee. Such report shall also
contain a description of the status of the efforts of such
entity or committee in coordinating Federal efforts on behalf
of the target population.
``(6) Authorization of appropriations.--There are
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection,
$1,000,000 for fiscal year 2009, and such sums as may be
necessary for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2013.
``(d) Definition.--In this section, the term `serious mental health
disorder' has the meaning given the term `serious mental illness' by
the Administrator for purposes of this title.''.
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