GA Code § 37-2-11 (2021)
2021 Georgia Code|Title 37 - Mental Health|Chapter 2 - Administration of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, Addictive Diseases, and Other Disability Services|Article 1 - General Provisions|§ 37-2-11. Allocation of Available Funds for Services; Recipients to Meet Minimum Standards; Accounting for Fees Generated by Providers; Discrimination in Providing Services Prohibited

  It is the goal of the State of Georgia that every citizen be provided an adequate level of disability care through a unified system of disability services. To this end, the department shall, to the maximum extent possible, allocate funds available for services so as to provide an adequate disability services program available to all citizens of this state. In funding and providing disability services, the department and the regional offices shall ensure that all providers, public or private, meet minimum standards of quality and competency as established by the department.   Fees generated, if any, by hospitals, community service boards, and other private and public providers, providing services under contract or purview of the department, shall be reported to the department and applied wherever appropriate against the cost of providing, and increasing the quantity and quality of, disability services; provided, however, that income to a community service board derived from fees may be used to further the purposes of such community service board as found in Code Section 37-3-6.1, subject to appropriations. The department shall be responsible for developing procedures to properly account for the collection, remittance, and reporting of generated fees. The department shall work with the community service boards and other public or private providers to develop an appropriate mechanism for accounting for the funds and resources contributed to local disability services by counties and municipalities within the area. Such contributions are not required to be submitted to either the community service boards or the department; however, appropriate documentation and accounting entries shall make certain that the county or municipality is credited, and if necessary compensated, appropriately for such contribution of funds or resources.   No person shall be denied disability services provided by the state as defined in this chapter based on age, gender, race, ethnic origin, or inability to pay; provided, however, unless otherwise prohibited by law or contract, providers of disability services may deny nonemergency disability services to any person who is able to pay, but who refuses to pay. The department shall develop a state-wide sliding fee scale for the provision of disability services and shall promulgate standards that define emergency disability services and refusal to pay.    (Code 1933, § 88-612, enacted by Ga. L. 1976, p. 953, § 1; Ga. L. 1986, p. 1213, § 1; Ga. L. 1993, p. 1445, § 16; Ga. L. 2002, p. 1324, § 1-7; Ga. L. 2006, p. 310, § 9/HB 1223; Ga. L. 2009, p. 453, § 3-1/HB 228.)   Code Commission notes.   - Pursuant to Code Section 28-9-5, in 1993, "remittance," was substituted for "remittance" in the second sentence of subsection (b).   Editor's notes.   - Ga. L. 1993, p. 1445, § 18.1, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: "Nothing in this Act shall be construed to repeal any provision of Chapter 5 of Title 37 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, the 'Community Services Act for the Mentally Retarded.' "   Ga. L. 1993, p. 1445, § 19, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: "This Act shall become effective on July 1, 1994; provided, however, that provisions relating to the establishment of regional and community service board boundaries and the appointments of regional boards and community service boards shall become effective on July 1, 1993, or upon whatever date is stipulated in the Act and provided, further, that the provisions authorizing a county board of health to agree to serve as the lead county board of health for only that county shall become effective upon the approval of this Act by the Governor or upon its becoming law without such approval." The Act was approved by the Governor on April 27, 1993.   Ga. L. 1993, p. 1445, which amends this Code section, provides, in § 19.1, not codified by the General Assembly, that the amendment is repealed on June 30, 1999; however, Ga. L. 1998, p. 870, § 1, struck § 19.1 of Ga. L. 1993, p. 1445, which would have repealed the 1993 amendment to this Code section.   Ga. L. 2006, p. 310, § 10/HB 1223, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that: "Nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect or abate any right accrued or vested prior to July 1, 2006, or any action or proceeding commenced prior to July 1, 2006, under any law amended or repealed by this Act."   Ga. L. 2006, p. 310, § 11/HB 1223, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that those provisions of that Act which authorize community service boards to amend their bylaws and authorize county governing authorities to appoint no sooner than May 1, 2006, any community service board members to take office on July 1, 2006, shall become effective April 21, 2006.   JUDICIAL DECISIONS    Cited in Youngblood v. Gwinnett Rockdale Newton Cmty. Serv. Bd., 273 Ga. 715, 545 S.E.2d 875 (2001).