Louisiana § RS 15:830.3 - Mental health transition pilot program

§ RS 15:830.3. Mental health transition pilot program

            A.(1) The Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall establish a mental health transition pilot program to be administered within the parishes of Livingston, St. Helena, and Tangipahoa to provide eligible individuals with transition services in the community while on probation or parole.

            (2) In order to determine eligibility for the program, the department shall conduct basic level screening of individuals placed on probation or parole for mental health disorders as defined in the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association.

            B. Each eligible individual who participates in the program shall be required, as a condition of probation or parole, to immediately do all of the following upon being placed on probation or released on parole:

            (1) Schedule and attend all appointments at the Florida Parishes Human Services Authority or any local governmental entity, district, or authority, for any and all mental health or substance use disorder treatments, if indicated.

            (2) Complete a Medicaid application.

            C. The department shall participate in a demonstration waiver pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 1315 when established by the Louisiana Department of Health and approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

            D. The department shall do all of the following:

            (1) Conduct an annual study to determine the recidivism rates of individuals who receive mental health transition services from a contracted entity pursuant to this Section. The study shall include the recidivism rates of individuals who have been placed on probation or released from incarceration for a minimum of one year after placement on probation or release.

            (2) On or before December thirty-first of each year, submit a written report to the governor, the president of the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget, and provide a copy of this report to the secretary of state. The report may be submitted electronically and shall contain the one-year rate of return of individuals to the custody of the department based on those who received services in the program compared to those who were placed on probation or released with a diagnosis of a serious mental health disorder who did not receive services in the program during the same period.

            Acts 2024, No. 665, §1.