An Act Regarding Mental Health Care for Maine Veterans
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 1231
Committee Amendment CA_A_H407 (House)

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ,./),, to H.P. 853, L.D. 1231, Bill, "An Act 
Regarding Mental Health Care for Maine Veterans'' 
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following: 
'Resolve, To Assess the Need for Mental Health Care Services for Veterans in Maine 
and To Establish a Pilot Program To Provide Case Management Services to 
Veterans for Mental Health Care' 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the title and before the summary and 
inserting the following: 
'PART A 
Sec. A-1. Hospitals to inquire about past military service of patients 
presenting for emergency care. Resolved: That, beginning no later than January 1, 
2018 and until December 31, 2020, a hospital licensed under the Maine Revised Statutes, 
Title 22, chapter 405 shall screen all patients presenting for emergency care at the 
hospital's emergency department regarding whether or not the patient has prior service in 
the military. This information must be added into the hospital's patient data management 
system; and be it further 
Sec. A-2. Hospitals to report data to the Commissioner of Health and 
Human Services. Resolved: That, from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020, a 
hospital licensed under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 22, chapter 405 shall compile 
data regarding the number of patients who identified as having served in the military who 
reported or presented a behavioral or mental health emergency when seeking care from 
the hospital emergency department, including the number who were admitted or refened 
for inpatient treatment for psychiatric care. The data collected in accordance with this 
subsection must not include information that would disclose the identity of the patient. 
Hospitals shall report the data to the Commissioner of Health and Human Services twice 
per year, for the period from January 1st to June 30th and for the period from July 1st to 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMM.IITEEAMENDMENT"#toH.P. 853,L.D.1231 
December 31st. The commissioner shall establish the date by which the data for each 
period must be reported; and be it further 
Sec. A-3. 
Commissioner may waive screening and data collection 
requirement. Resolved: That the Commissioner of Health and Human Services may 
grant a waiver of the screening and data collection requirements of this resolve to a 
hospital that demonstrates that the requirements constitute an excessive burden that will 
substantially affect the operation of the hospital. The commissioner may not grant a 
waiver described under this section to more than 4 hospitals; and be it further 
Sec. A-4. Obligation to screen and collect data discontinued for certain 
hospitals. Resolved: That, if reports submitted to the Commissioner of Health and 
Human Services show that a hospital, in the initial 6-month period of data collection, 
identified 95% or more of the patients who presented for emergency care as having prior 
military service by the fact that they are enrolled and receive health care benefits from the 
United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the hospital is no longer required to screen 
patients and collect data as required by this resolve; and be it further 
Sec. A-5. Report required. Resolved: That the Commissioner of Health and 
Human Services shall work with the Director of the Bureau of Maine Veterans' Services 
within the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management to analyze the 
data submitted by hospitals in accordance with section 2 of this Part to quantify the unmet 
need for mental health care services, particularly inpatient mental health care services, 
and to identify gaps in mental health care services provided by the United States 
Department of Veterans Affairs. The commissioner and the director shall submit a report 
on the analysis to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over 
veterans affairs no later than February l, 2020; and be it further 
Sec. A-6. 
Commissioner shall distribute funds to mitigate costs of 
compliance. Resolved: 
That, by July 15, 2018, the Commissioner of Health and 
Human Services shall distribute $4,500 to each hospital that screened for military service 
and collected data in accordance with sections 2 and 3 of this Part. 
PARTB 
Sec. B-1. Commissioner of Health and Human Services to establish pilot 
program to provide mental health case management services to veterans. 
Resolved: That, beginning January 1, 2018, the Commissioner of Health and Human 
Services shall establish and implement a pilot program to provide contracted case 
management services to provide necessary mental health treatment to veterans who are 
residents of the State. Case management services must include assisting veterans in 
gaining a range of mental and behavioral health services, which must include inpatient 
mental health care services. In establishing the pilot program, the commissioner shall 
consult with the Director of the Maine Bureau of Veterans' Services within the 
Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management to identify regions where 
case management services are most needed and to identify veterans seeking case 
management who are enrolled with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and 
those who would likely be eligible to be enrolled. The pilot program described in this 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
1,1 ()t' s 
,-~ 
COMMITIEEAMENDMENT"/f.' to H.P. 853, L.D. 1231 
section must continue until January 1, 2020 or until the funds provided in Part C are 
exhausted. 
1. The commissioner, with the assistance of the director, shall seek to coordinate 
services with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and state agencies who 
offer mental health care services or provide assistance to veterans. 
2. The commissioner may enter into regional contracts for the purpose of ensuring a 
statewide network of case management that provides coordinated mental health care 
services for Maine veterans. 
3. The commissioner, with the assistance of the director, shall establish criteria to 
determine eligibility for case management services to be provided in accordance with this 
section. 
4. The director shall work to assist veterans receiving case management under the 
pilot program who are not enrolled with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs 
to determine eligibility and to assist with those veterans' enrollment and with filing claims 
to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. 
PARTC 
Sec. C-1. Appropriations and allocations. Resolved: That the following 
appropriations and allocations are made. 
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF (FORMERLY BDS) 
Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 0679 
Initiative: Provides one-time funding for a pilot program to provide case management 
services to veterans requiring mental health care services. 
GENERAL FUND 
All Other 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 0679 
2017-18 
$750,000 
$750,000 
2018-19 
$0 
$0 
Initiative: Provides one-time funding of $4,500 each for hospitals to configure electronic 
medical record systems for the purposes of screening emergency room patients for past 
military services and collecting data regarding the number of veterans seeking emergency 
room services for behavioral or mental health issues. 
GENERAL FUND 
All Other 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
2017-18 
$125,000 
$125,000 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
$0 
COMMITIEE AMENDMENT"fl "to H.P. 853, L.D. 1231 
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, 
DEPARTMENT OF (FORMERLY BDS) 
DEPARTMENT TOTALS 
GENERAL FUND 
DEPARTMENT TOTAL-ALL FUNDS 
SUMMARY 
2017-18 
2018-19 
$875,000 
$0 
$875,000 
$0 
This amendment replaces the bill with a resolve. The amendment establishes a 
program for the collection of data by hospitals regarding the number of veterans 
presenting to the hospitals' emergency departments for mental or behavioral health care. 
The data must be analyzed by the Commissioner of Health and Human Services, in 
coordination with the Director of the Maine Bureau of Veterans' Services within the 
Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management, to quantify the unmet 
need for mental health care services, particularly inpatient treatment, among veterans in 
the State and to identify gaps in mental health care services administered by the United 
States Department of Veterans Affairs. The amendment also establishes a 2-year pilot 
program to provide contracted case management services to veterans in need of mental 
health care services. The amendment provides funding to mitigate the costs to hospitals 
for collecting and reporting data and to pay for the contracted case management services 
program. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 05/23/17 feac.. 
LD 1231 
LR 1356(02) 
An Act Regarding Mental Health Care for Maine Veterans 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended bj, Committee Amendment l7.(fJ4(l-i) 
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs 
Net Cost (Savings) 
General Fund 
Appropriations/ Allocations 
General Fund 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
FY 2017-18 
I FY2018-19 
$875,000 
$0 
$875,000 
$0 
Projections 
FY 2019-20 
$0 
$0 
Projections 
FY2020-21 
$0 
$0 
The bill includes one-time General Fund appropriations to the Department of Health and Human Services of $875,000 
in fiscal year 2017-18 for a pilot program to provide case management services to veterans requiring mental health 
care services and for hospitals to configure EMR systems. 
Additional costs to the Depa1iment of Defense,Veterans and Emergency Management associated with consulting with 
and assisting the Department of Health and Human Services regarding the provision of mental health care services to 
veterans can be absorbed within existing budgeted resources. 
LR1356(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1