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AB 109 ‘Year-Two Report’ On County Board Agenda For Tuesday’s Meeting

A discussion of prison realignment and changes in Medi-Cal funding due to the Affordable Care Act are the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors agenda for their weekly meeting on Tuesday morning.


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AB 109 Two-Year Report

Jerry Powers, chief probation officer with the county Probation Department will report to the board with up-to-date information on the implementation of prison realignment under Assembly Bill 109. The board originally requested the report in December 2012.

AB 109 was passed in 2011.

“Among other effects, the landmark legislation created Post-Release Community Supervision (PRCS); shifted custody responsibility from the state to county jails for certain felony offenders and all parole violators; and shifted parole revocation processes to the local court system,” according to a report by the Probation Department.

This Year-Two Report focuses on the Post-Release Community Supervision program and the number of cases in the program over AB 109’s two-year history and comparing 2013 with 2012.

During the first two years, more than 18,000 prisoners were released into the county under PRCS, but the active probation population peaked at 10,300, according to the Probation Department, because “fewer inmates released from prison meet eligibility requirements for the program.”

Non-violent, non-serious and non-sexual offenders are now handled by county Probation under AB 109. All other felons are handled by the state Parole Department.

“The Los Angeles County Probation Department will not supervise any ‘3rd Strike,’ other serious crime offenders, such as individuals committed a violent crime or are high risk sex-offenders.  Essentially this means that State Parole will continue to supervise current serious or violent felons, ‘3rd Strike’ offenders, high-risk sex offenders, and mentally disordered offenders,” according to the Probation Department website.

The county Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations has maintained that AB 109 has not resulted in the early release of felons or the transfer or already convicted felons from state prisons to county jails.

But Supervisor Michael Antonovich has remained a vocal opponent of the law.

“With crime rates rising in many of our local cities, the Governor’s realignment program is a proven threat to public safety which has overwhelmed probation departments and local law enforcement agencies statewide,” he said in August.

Related Article: Supervisor Antonovich Addresses AB 109 At Annual Police Chief’s Luncheon

The county board meeting will be livestreamed online starting at 9:30 a.m. Click here to watch the meeting.

To view this agenda item and supporting documents, click here.

Changes Under the Affordable Care Act

The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health could sign new agreements with more than 100 mental health service providers across to Los Angeles County, superseding the current agreements, thanks to the Medi-Cal Coverage Expansion under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

The Child and Family Center, local nonprofit with locations on Centre Pointe Parkway and Lyons Avenue, contracts with the county to provide mental health services, receiving reimbursement for some services provided.

But that contract could change, pending approval by the county Board of Supervisors.

The agenda item was referred back to the Department of Mental Health before the Dec. 10 board meeting, but it is scheduled to be decided on Tuesday.

The county currently contracts with 134 mental health service providers, with a budget of $960,667,933 for the 2013-2014 fiscal year.

The new agreement would add $21,584,000 in additional spending authority for the Department of Mental Health during the 2013-2014 fiscal year to cover additional Medi-Cal patients at the 134 service providers.

As of Jan. 1, 2014, individuals making less than $15,856 per year and families of four making less than $32,499 will be eligible for Medi-Cal, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.

All service providers, including the Child and Family Center will be required to accept the changes to their contract, according to the Mental Health Department’s letter to the board.

“By superseding these Legal Entity Agreements with the new DMH Legal Entity Agreement format, each existing Legal Entity Contractor will be contractually obligated to comply with all new and revised provisions to the Legal Entity Agreement, as well as to continue providing essential and accessible mental health services to clients throughout Los Angeles County, including the newly eligible Medicaid Coverage Expansion beneficiaries,” the letter said.

Related Article: Affordable Care Act Could Alter Child And Family Center’s Contract With County

For more information about Medi-Cal eligibility and changes under the Affordable Care Act, click here.


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AB 109 ‘Year-Two Report’ On County Board Agenda For Tuesday’s Meeting

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