Directs the commissioner of the office of mental health and the director of the state office for the aging shall establish a mental home health services program for the aging to facilitate access to mental home health services to respond to identified mental health needs, including those needs that may have resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic, and for the aging or families that may not have access to mental health professionals in-person; makes related provisions.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A4826
SPONSOR: Brown E TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to providing mental
home health care services to the aging
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1. Section 5.05 of the mental hygiene law is amended by adding a
new subdivision (f) to read as follows:
(f) The commissioner of the office of mental health and the director Of
the state office for the aging shall establish a mental home health Care
services program for the aging to facilitate access to mental home
Health care services to respond to identified mental health needs,
Including those needs that may have resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic,
And for the aging or families that may not have access to mental health
Professionals in-person. Such program shall provide up to five mental
Home health assessments, services and visits annually at no cost to the
Individual, for acute crisis response, mental health assessment, or
Initiation of care to'reduce barriers and facilitate engagement in long-
Term care.
As soon as practicable, but no later than August first, two thousand
twenty-four, the offices shall enter into an agreement with a vendor to
create, or use an existing, website or web-based application, as a
portal available to the aging and providers to facilitate the program.
Such vendor shall be determined through a competitive bidding process.
JUSTIFICATION:
Every County in New York State should have a budget and or provision to
provide Homebound Mental Health and Assessment Services for Older
Adults. In the long term, it is less costly to keep older adults /
seniors at home, rather than traveling or shuttling them to a nursing
home or an out-care facility for services.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023/24:A4971-referred to mental health
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after it
shall have become a law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4826
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 6, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. E. BROWN, MAHER, TAGUE, DeSTEFANO, BRABENEC --
read once and referred to the Committee on Mental Health
AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to providing mental
home health care services to the aging
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 5.05 of the mental hygiene law is amended by adding
2 a new subdivision (f) to read as follows:
3 (f) The commissioner of the office of mental health and the director
4 of the state office for the aging shall establish a mental home health
5 care services program for the aging to facilitate access to mental home
6 health care services to respond to identified mental health needs,
7 including those needs that may have resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic,
8 and for the aging or families that may not have access to mental health
9 professionals in-person. Such program shall provide up to five mental
10 home health assessments, services and visits annually at no cost to the
11 individual, for acute crisis response, mental health assessment, or
12 initiation of care to reduce barriers and facilitate engagement in long-
13 term care.
14 As soon as practicable, but no later than August first, two thousand
15 twenty-six, the offices shall enter into an agreement with a vendor to
16 create, or use an existing, website or web-based application, as a
17 portal available to the aging and providers to facilitate the program.
18 Such vendor shall be determined through a competitive bidding process.
19 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
20 it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04740-01-5
