Wisconsin Code § 46.275

Community integration program for residents of state centers
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(1) LEGISLATIVE INTENT. The intent of the
program under this section is to relocate persons from the state
centers for the developmentally disabled into appropriate community settings with the assistance of home and communitybased services and with continuity of care. The intent of the program is also to minimize its impact on state employees through
redeployment of employees into vacant positions.
(1m) DEFINITIONS. In this section:
(a) “Medical assistance” means aid provided under subch. IV
of ch. 49, except ss. 49.468 and 49.471.
(b) “Program” means the community integration program for
residents of state centers for the developmentally disabled, for
which a waiver has been received under sub. (2).
(2) DEPARTMENTAL POWERS AND DUTIES. The department
may request a waiver from the secretary of the U.S. department of
health and human services, under 42 USC 1396n (c), authorizing
the department to integrate medical assistance recipients who reside in state centers for the developmentally disabled into their
communities by providing home and community-based services
as part of the medical assistance program. If the department requests this waiver, it shall include all assurances required under
42 USC 1396n (c) (2) in its request. If the department receives
this waiver, at the end of the 3-year period during which the
waiver remains in effect the department may request an additional 3-year extension of the waiver. If the department receives
this waiver, it shall:
(a) Annually submit to the secretary of the U.S. department of
health and human services information showing the effect of the
program on medical assistance costs and on the health and welfare of program participants.
(b) Evaluate the effect of the program on medical assistance
costs and on the program’s ability to provide community care alternatives to institutional care in state centers for the developmentally disabled.
(c) Fund home or community-based services provided by any
county or by the department that meet the requirements of this
section.
(d) Unless s. 49.45 (37) applies, review and approve or disapprove each plan of care developed under sub. (3) (c) 2.
(e) Submit to the governor and to the chief clerk of each house
of the legislature, for distribution to appropriate legislative standing committees under s. 13.172 (3), annual progress reports on
the program plus any other information requested.
(3) COUNTY PARTICIPATION. (a) Any county may participate
in the program, if it meets the conditions specified in this subsection and the requirements established by the department, including requirements concerning the qualifications and levels of staff
for home or community-based service providers.
(b) The board of supervisors of any county that participates in
the program shall designate one of the following county departments to administer the program, subject to departmental review
and approval:
2. A county department under s. 51.42 to which the powers
and duties of a county department under s. 51.437 have been
transferred under s. 51.437 (4g) (b).
3. A county department under s. 46.23.
4. A county department under s. 51.437.
(c) Any county participating in the program shall inform the
persons eligible for program services under sub. (4) that home
and community-based services are available, at their choosing, in
place of institutional care. Services provided under this section
shall meet the following conditions:
1. The services substitute for care provided at a state center
for the developmentally disabled.
2. The services are provided to each recipient under a written
plan of care designed for that recipient and, unless s. 49.45 (37)
applies, approved by the department.
(d) Any county participating in the program shall provide case
management services, including the responsibility for locating,
coordinating and monitoring all services and informal supports
needed by eligible persons and their families.
(3g) DUTIES OF THE DEPARTMENT. The department shall
provide fair and equitable arrangements to protect the interests of
all state employees affected by the program, including arrangements designed to preserve employee rights and benefits.
(3r) RELOCATION BY THE DEPARTMENT. (a) The department
may, without county participation under sub. (3) or county reimbursement under sub. (5) (a), relocate a person eligible for program services under sub. (4) from a state center for the developmentally disabled into a community setting in any of the following situations:
1. The person’s county of residence when the person entered
the state center for the developmentally disabled cannot be determined with reasonable certainty.
2. The person’s county of residence when the person entered
the state center for the developmentally disabled is not participating, under sub. (3), in the program.
3. The person will be relocated into the home of the person’s
parent or guardian and will be receiving state monitoring of the
relocation and services provided by a public or private school or a
tribal school, as defined in s. 115.001 (15m).
(b) If the department relocates a person under this subsection,
it shall comply with the requirements imposed on counties under
sub. (3) (c) and (d).
(c) Prior to relocating a person under this subsection, the department shall ensure delivery of any necessary education, habilitation, vocational, medical and therapy services through contracting with community-based service providers. If any service
is not available, the department may provide it directly.
(4) ELIGIBILITY OF RECIPIENTS. (a) Any medical assistance
recipient living in a state center for the developmentally disabled
is eligible to participate in the program. Such a recipient may apply, or any person may apply on behalf of such a recipient, for
participation in the program.
(b) The department in conjunction with the county shall review any application for participation in the program as to eligibility and the appropriateness of planned services. The county
department administering the program for the county in which

the medical assistance recipient resides shall review any application for participation in the program as to eligibility, except applications for relocation under sub. (3r). No person may participate
in the program unless all of the following occur:
1. Consent for participation is given either by the person’s
parent, guardian or legal custodian, if the person is under age 18,
or by the person or the person’s guardian, if the person is age 18
or over, except that this subdivision does not limit the authority of
the circuit court to enter, change, revise or extend a dispositional
order under subch. VI of ch. 48 or subch. VI of ch. 938 or to order
a protective placement or protective services under s. 55.12.
2. The county, or the department under sub. (3r), agrees to
provide services to the person.
3. The department determines that available home or community-based services are appropriate for that person.
(c) 1. Except as provided in subd. 2., if a resident of a state
center for the developmentally disabled is relocated in order to receive home or community-based services under the program, the
center may not accept a patient to fill the bed left vacant by the
person leaving.
2. If a person who has been relocated from a state center for
the developmentally disabled under this program seeks to return
to the center within 365 days after relocating because the person
or the county department administering the program, or the department under sub. (3r), finds that the services available are inappropriate, the center shall accept the person as a patient to fill
the bed that the person vacated. After this 365-day period, the
person may only be readmitted into a bed not left vacant because
of relocation under this section.
(f) To the extent provided in 42 USC 1396n, if a person who
has been relocated from a state center for the developmentally
disabled under this program discontinues participating in the program for any reason other than institutional placement, the department may reallocate on a case-by-case basis the funding
within the relocating county to another medical assistance recipient who is developmentally disabled and who, but for this program, would require the level of care provided in a state center for
the developmentally disabled.
(4m) WORKER’S COMPENSATION COVERAGE. An individual
who is performing services for a person receiving long-term care
benefits under this section on a self-directed basis and who does
not otherwise have worker’s compensation coverage for those services is considered, for purposes of worker’s compensation coverage, to be an employee of the entity that is providing financial
management services for that person.
(5) FUNDING. (a) Medical Assistance reimbursement for services a county, or the department under sub. (3r), provides under
this program is available from the appropriation accounts under s.
20.435 (4) (b), (gm), (o), and (w). If 2 or more counties jointly
contract to provide services under this program and the department approves the contract, Medical Assistance reimbursement is
also available for services provided jointly by these counties.
(b) No county, or the department under sub. (3r), may use
funds received under this section to do any of the following:
1. Purchase land or construct buildings.
2. Reduce federal, state or county matching expenditures for
long-term community support services provided to any person as
part of this program from funds allocated under s. 46.495 (1) (d),
46.80 (5), 46.85 (3m) (b) 1. and 2. or 51.423, as indicated in the
county’s budget or by actual expenditures.
3. Provide room and board, except for respite care.
4. Provide services, except respite care that is approved by
the department, within a skilled nursing facility, intermediate
care facility or intermediate care facility for persons with an intellectual disability, as defined in s. 46.278 (1m) (am), including a
state center for the developmentally disabled.
5. Provide residential services in any community-based residential facility, as defined in s. 50.01 (1g), or group home, as defined in s. 48.02 (7) that has more than 8 beds.
6. Provide services to a recipient that are not specified in the
recipient’s written plan of care.
7. Provide services in any community-based residential facility unless the county or department uses as a service contract
the approved model contract developed under s. 46.27 (2) (j) ,
2017 stats., or a contract that includes all of the provisions of the
approved model contract.
(c) The total allocation under s. 20.435 (4) (b), (gm), (o), and
(w) to counties and to the department under sub. (3r) for services
provided under this section may not exceed the amount approved
by the federal department of health and human services. A
county may use funds received under this section only to provide
services to persons who meet the requirements under sub. (4) and
may not use unexpended funds received under this section to
serve other developmentally disabled persons residing in the
county.
(d) The department may, from the appropriation under s.
20.435 (4) (o), provide reimbursement for services provided under this section by counties that are in excess of the current average annual per person rate, as established by the department, and
are less than the average amount approved in the waiver received
under sub. (2).
(e) From the appropriation under s. 20.435 (2) (gL), the department may provide moneys to a county to pay for one-time
costs associated with the relocation under this section of an individual from a state center for the developmentally disabled.
(5m) REPORT. By March 1 of each year, the department shall
submit a report to the joint committee on finance and to the chief
clerk of each house of the legislature, for distribution to the appropriate standing committees under s. 13.172 (3), describing the
program’s impact during the preceding calendar year on state employees, including the department’s efforts to redeploy employees
into vacant positions and the number of employees laid off.
(6) EFFECTIVE PERIOD. This section takes effect on the date
approved by the secretary of the U.S. department of health and
human services as the beginning date of the period of waiver received under sub. (2). This section remains in effect for 3 years
following that date and, if the secretary of the U.S. department of
health and human services approves a waiver extension, shall
continue an additional 3 years.

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