Children And Youth Mental Health Treatment Act

Mental health - children and youth mental health treatment act - provision of services. The act extends indefinitely the "Child Mental Health Treatment Act" and renames it the "Children and Youth Mental Health Treatment Act" (act). Significant changes to the act include:

• Continuing the ability of a parent or guardian of a non-medicaid eligible child or youth to receive mental health services for the child or youth without unwarranted child welfare involvement;
• When evaluating a child or youth for eligibility for mental health treatment services (services), the evaluating mental health agency shall use a standardized risk stratification tool;
• Establishing a new definition of "mental health agency" to capture a larger set of behavioral health services providers;
• Reporting requirements for the department of health care policy and financing and mental health agencies that provide services for children and youth are updated and clarified;
• Requiring the department of human services to maintain and update a list of providers on its website, as well as post information from various reports required by the act, excluding any personal health information; and
• Revising the membership of the advisory board that assists and advises the executive director of the department of human services with the development of service standards and rules for the provision of services.
  (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)