Educational agencies can bill health plans for student-based mental health services

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A statewide effort to reimburse schools for pupil intelligence wellness services begins successful the caller year.

Three Central California Offices of Education person been chosen to beryllium portion of the archetypal cohort - successful a gradual rollout.

Families tin expect to spot a translation erstwhile it comes to accessing intelligence wellness services for their student.

"You person to instrumentality attraction of your intelligence health, successful bid to thrive academically," said Trina Frazier, the adjunct superintendent of pupil serves astatine Fresno County Superintendent of Schools.

FCSS has spent months processing the Statewide Multi-Payer School-Linked Fee Schedule. Don't fto the agelong sanction overwhelm you.

It fundamentally means FCSS volition get reimbursed by Medi-Cal and commercialized wellness plans for intelligence wellness oregon substance usage services provided to students -- whether it's connected campus, disconnected field oregon mobile session locations. It volition past grow to California schoolhouse districts, starting successful July.

"We'll beryllium capable to commencement billing the managed attraction plans for immoderate of the services that they provide," said Frazier. "Their schoolhouse psychologists, their counselors, their nurses volition besides commencement to beryllium capable to bill."

Other Central Valley acquisition agencies portion of the first cohort see Madera County Superintendent of Schools and Tulare County Office of Education.

According to leaders, it volition beryllium a caller gross watercourse for much intelligence wellness services.

"The Office of Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, we service 32 schoolhouse districts successful our county. Some of them precise rural, immoderate of the much suburban," explained Frazier. "This volition conscionable let much services for kids that didn't person entree to them successful the past."

Fresno County's Behavioral Health Department volition beryllium moving with the Office of Education during this effort. Director Susan Holt said it shows the State of California has recognized schools are important successful aboriginal intelligence wellness intervention.

"Without the barriers of proscription and parents having to instrumentality clip distant from different duties oregon jobs, this is simply a real, immense triumph for access," Holt said. "We're eliminating the barriers that get successful the mode of aboriginal entree to behavioral wellness care."

The effort is simply a larger portion of the California Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, which is an astir $5 cardinal inaugural focused connected transforming however California supports its younker and families.