26605.7
. (a) The sheriff, or his or her designee, after conferring
with the physician who has oversight for providing medical care, or
the physician's designee, may request the court to grant medical
probation or to resentence a prisoner to medical probation in lieu of
jail time for any prisoner sentenced to a county jail under either
of the following circumstances:
(1) The prisoner is physically incapacitated with a medical
condition that renders the prisoner permanently unable to perform
activities of basic daily living, which has resulted in the prisoner
requiring 24-hour care, if that incapacitation did not exist at the
time of sentencing.
(2) The prisoner would require acute long-term inpatient
rehabilitation services.
(b) Before a prisoner's release to medical probation, the sheriff,
or his or her designee, shall secure a placement option for the
prisoner in the community and, in consultation with the county
welfare department or another applicable county agency, examine the
prisoner's eligibility for federal Medicaid benefits or other medical
coverage that might assist in funding the prisoner's medical
treatment while in the community.
(c) During the time on probation pursuant to this section, the
probation officer or court may, at any time, request a medical
reexamination of the probationer by a physician who has oversight for
providing medical care to prisoners in a county jail, or the
physician's designee. If the court determines, based on that medical
examination, that the probationer's medical condition has improved to
the extent that the probationer no longer qualifies for medical
probation, the court may return the probationer to the custody of the
sheriff.
(d) (1) For any probationer granted medical probation pursuant to
this section who is eligible for Medi-Cal, the county shall continue
to pay the nonfederal share of the probationer's Medi-Cal costs.
After a probationer is released from medical probation, the county
shall no longer be required to pay the nonfederal share of the
Medi-Cal costs.
(2) For any probationer granted medical probation pursuant to this
section who is ineligible for Medi-Cal, the county shall consider
whether the probationer has private medical insurance or sufficient
income or assets to provide for his or her own medical care. If the
county determines that the probationer can provide for his or her own
medical care, the county shall not be required to provide the
probationer with medical care.
(e) (1) This section shall be implemented only to the extent that
a court sentences a person to medical probation pursuant to this
section and the sheriff does both of the following:
(A) Sends a letter to the State Department of Health Care Services
agreeing to do both of the following:
(i) Notify the State Department of Health Care Services, in
writing, when a probationer released pursuant to this section has
applied for Medi-Cal.
(ii) Notify the State Department of Health Care Services, in
writing, if a probationer released pursuant to this section, who is
Medi-Cal eligible, is returned to the custody of the sheriff. The
chief probation officer shall notify the State Department of Health
Care Services, in writing, when a Medi-Cal eligible probationer's
term of medical probation ends.
(B) For the period of time the offender is on medical probation:
(i) Reimburses the State Department of Health Care Services for
the nonfederal share of the Medi-Cal costs and any medical costs paid
by the State Department of Health Care Services that are not
reimbursable pursuant to Title XIX or XXI of the federal Social
Security Act, for an offender released pursuant to this section.
(ii) Provides to the State Department of Health Care Services the
nonfederal share of the state's administrative costs associated with
this section.
(2) It is the intent of the Legislature that the implementation of
this section shall not result in increased costs to the General
Fund.
(3) Participation in the program under this section is voluntary
for purposes of all applicable federal law. This section shall be
implemented only to the extent that federal financial participation
for the Medi-Cal program is not jeopardized.
(f) Notwithstanding any other law, the State Department of Health
Care Services may exempt individuals released pursuant to this
section from mandatory enrollment in managed health care, including
county-organized health plans and, as deemed necessary by the State
Department of Health Care Services, may determine the proper prior
authorization process for individuals who have been released pursuant
to this section.
(g) Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of
Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2, the State Department of Health Care
Services, without taking any further regulatory action, may
implement, interpret, and make specific this section by means of
provider bulletins, all-county letters, manuals, or similar
instructions until the time that regulations are adopted. Thereafter,
the department shall adopt regulations in accordance with Chapter
3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title
2. Six months after the effective date of the act that added this
subdivision, the department shall provide a status update to the
Legislature on its efforts to adopt the regulations. Thereafter,
notwithstanding Section 10231.5, the department shall report on the
status of this effort to the Legislature on an annual basis, until
the regulations have been adopted.