PACE PROGRAM FLEXIBILITY

Amends the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly Act. Provides that the Department of Healthcare and Family Services shall coordinate with the Department on Aging and the Department of Human Services to ensure the maximization of all available federal financial participation and existing State revenue sources, which shall include, but not be limited to, identifying and integrating funding streams currently used for the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers to support PACE enrollment and developing a unified budgeting approach under which appropriations for long-term services and supports are treated as a fungible pool, allowing funding to transition seamlessly when a participant chooses PACE over traditional waiver services. Provides that, to ensure participant choice and program flexibility, the Department shall establish a service-neutral enrollment mechanism. Provides that if an individual is on a waiting list for a HCBS waiver and chooses to enroll in PACE, the individual's status and slot value shall be preserved and applied to the PACE capitation rate to ensure the State's budget neutrality. Sets forth provisions concerning funding portability, transitioning between PACE and traditional HCBS models, and the use of a Unified Assessment Tool.