Requires DHS to establish five-year pilot program to facilitate coordinated provision of systemic, therapeutic, assessment, resource, and treatment (START) services to adults who have both developmental disabilities and mental illness.

A1792

ASSEMBLY, No. 1792

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman ANTHONY S. VERRELLI

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman Flynn and Assemblyman Scharfenberger

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires DHS to establish five-year pilot program to
facilitate coordinated provision of systemic, therapeutic, assessment,
resource, and treatment (START) services to adults who have both developmental
disabilities and mental illness.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act
concerning
the establishment of a pilot program
to provide coordinated systemic, therapeutic, assessment, resource, and
treatment services to individuals who have both developmental disabilities and
a mental illness, and supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� As used in this act:

���� �Adult in crisis� means an
eligible adult who is experiencing a behavioral health crisis.�

���� �Behavioral health crisis�
means an emergency or crisis situation in which an eligible adult experiences
mental, emotional, or behavioral health challenges that endanger the health,
safety, or wellbeing of the adult or other persons, and which cannot be controlled
or otherwise properly addressed or stabilized by the adult, or by the adult�s
family members, attendant caregivers, or direct care staff members, without
professional assistance.�

���� �Crisis management and
stabilization plan� means an individualized, person-centered service plan,
which identifies target behaviors to be addressed in, desired outcomes to be
attained by, and necessary START services to be provided to, an eligible adult,
as may be necessary to enable the adult and his or her family members,
guardian, caregivers, and direct support staff to prevent future crisis
situations and, when a behavioral health crisis does occur, to effectively
stabilize the adult in a non-clinical, community-based therapeutic respite
home, without necessitating the use of emergency medical services or
institutional treatment.�

���� �Crisis response services� or
�crisis response� means face-to-face, non-medical emergency counseling and
therapeutic services, which are provided to an adult in crisis in order to
de-escalate and stabilize the behavioral health crisis being experienced thereby.�

���� �Developmental disability�
means the same as that term is defined by section 3 of P.L.1977, c.82
(C.30:6D-3).

���� �Eligible adult� means a
person who has both a developmental disability and a mental illness and is
eligible for services from the Department of Human Services.

���� �Home� means a private
residence or a community-based residential facility, such as a group home or
halfway house, where an eligible adult is a resident.

���� �Mental illness� means the
same as that term is defined by section 2 of P.L.1987, c.116 (C.30:4-27.2).

���� �Pilot START program� or
�pilot program� means the pilot program established pursuant to section 2 of
this act.

���� �Respite bed� means an
available bed in a therapeutic respite home, which is dedicated for use by an
eligible adult who is not in crisis, but whose crisis management and
stabilization plan provides for the occasional use of therapeutic respite
services as a means by which to prevent the onset of a behavioral health
crisis.

���� �Stabilization� or �stabilize�
means the stabilization of an adult in crisis, which is effectuated by a crisis
response team, by staff at a therapeutic respite home, or by the family
members, guardian, or caregivers of the adult in crisis, and which effectively
calms and stabilizes the behavior of the adult in crisis, and removes the
potential for danger arising out of the crisis situation.

���� �Stabilization bed� means an
available bed in a therapeutic respite home, which is dedicated for use by an
adult in crisis who actively requires stabilization.�

���� �START services� means the
systemic, therapeutic, assessment, resource, and treatment services, identified
in subsection c. of section 2 of this act, which are made available to eligible
adults through the pilot START program.

���� �Therapeutic respite home�
means a community-based facility, or a part of a facility, which provides a
safe, non-clinical, non-punitive, and therapeutic inpatient space, and respite
and stabilization beds, for temporary use by eligible adults in crisis and by
eligible adults whose crisis management and stabilization plan provides for the
occasional use of therapeutic space as a proactive means to prevent the onset
of a behavioral health crisis.

���� 2.��� a.� Within 180 days
after the effective date of this act, the Commissioner of Human Services shall
establish and implement a five-year pilot program to facilitate the coordinated
provision of START services to eligible adults in the State.� The dual purposes
of the pilot START program shall be to:�

���� (1)�� utilize appropriate
crisis planning methods and the cross-system coordination of services as a
means to promote and enhance the health, wellbeing, and ongoing mental
stability of eligible adults residing at home in the community, in order to
enable eligible adults to avoid institutionalization and maintain
community-based residence; and

���� (2)�� provide eligible adults
with a therapeutic space, within the community, which can be used both for
their respite, as a means to stave-off potential crisis, and for their
stabilization in times of actual crisis.��

���� b.��� In implementing the
pilot START program, the commissioner shall:

���� (1)�� develop effective
community, regional, and Statewide partnerships and efficient cross-system
service linkages, as may be necessary to ensure the timely and coordinated
provision of START services to all eligible adults in the State;

���� (2)�� ensure that the pilot
program utilizes a person-centered and solutions-focused approach, employs
positive psychology and other evidence-based practices, and prioritizes and
optimizes the independence, therapeutic treatment, and community-based living
of eligible adults, consistent with the START program model established in 1988
and promoted by the Center for START Services at the University of New
Hampshire Institute on Disability; and

���� (3)�� designate at least one
facility in each of the northern, central, and southern regions of the State to
serve as a therapeutic respite home under the pilot program.� Each therapeutic
respite home designated pursuant to this paragraph shall contain at least two
respite beds and two stabilization beds for use by eligible adults in the
region.

���� c.���� The pilot START program
shall coordinate the cross-system provision of relevant services to eligible
adults.� Relevant services shall include, but need not be limited to:

���� (1)�� individualized,
cross-system assessment and diagnostic services to be used in identifying
eligible adults and assessing and meeting their service needs.� Assessment and
diagnostic services provided under this paragraph shall include, at a minimum:�
(a) the timely evaluation of an individual�s eligibility for START services;
and (b) the comprehensive assessment of each eligible adult�s unique needs for
treatment, supports, crisis prevention and response planning, therapeutic
respite, and other START services;

���� (2)�� on-site and remote
crisis response and stabilization services, which shall be available to
eligible adults, immediately upon request or referral, 24 hours per day, seven
days per week;

���� (3)�� therapeutic respite and
stabilization care, which shall be provided in a therapeutic respite home to
any adult in crisis and to any eligible adult whose crisis management and
stabilization plan provides for the occasional and temporary use of therapeutic
respite as a means by which to prevent the onset of a behavioral health crisis;

���� (4)�� ongoing and
individualized cross-system crisis prevention and response planning services,
which shall be made available, upon request or referral, to eligible adults and
the family members, guardians, and caregivers thereof.� Planning services
provided under this paragraph shall, at a minimum, include the development of a
personalized crisis management and stabilization plan for each eligible adult,
which plan shall:� (a) identify strategies that can be used by the eligible
adult and the family members, guardian, or caregivers thereof to proactively
prevent a behavioral health crisis; and (b) describe the means and methods that
will be used, in the event of a behavioral health crisis, to facilitate the
eligible adult�s timely receipt of appropriate crisis intervention, response,
counseling, and stabilization services in the least restrictive,
non-institutional setting; and

���� (5)�� cross-system service
coordination and referral services, and clinical and non-clinical consultation,
education, and training services and sessions, which shall be made available to
eligible adults and the family members, guardians, and caregivers thereof, and
which shall be designed to:� (a) help eligible adults and their family members,
guardians, and caregivers identify and make full use of all available START
services; (b) promptly link eligible adults to, and coordinate each adult�s
receipt of, appropriate START services; and (c) ensure the effective implementation
of crisis management and stabilization plans, pursuant to paragraph (4) of this
subsection.

���� 3.��� a.� One year after the
pilot program takes effect, pursuant to section 2 of this section, and annually
thereafter until the pilot program is terminated, the Commissioner of Human
Services shall prepare and submit a written report to the Governor and, pursuant
to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature, describing
the operations of, and activities undertaken pursuant to, the pilot program.�
Each report shall identify, at a minimum:�

���� (1)�� the number of eligible
adults in each of the northern, central, and southern regions of the State who
are receiving START services under the pilot program;

���� (2)�� the location of each
therapeutic respite home designated pursuant to subsection b. of section 2 of
this act, and the number of respite beds and stabilization beds available at
each therapeutic respite home;

���� (3)�� the number of eligible
adults in each of the northern, central, and southern regions of the State who
have utilized respite or stabilization services provided by a therapeutic
respite home, and the average amount of time that eligible adults have spent in
residential respite care or stabilization care;

���� (4)�� any problems or other
factors that are affecting the implementation of the pilot program or reducing
its effectiveness, and any actions that are being recommended or undertaken to
address those problems; and

���� (5)�� the commissioner�s
findings and conclusions regarding the effectiveness of the pilot program�s
ongoing operations.

���� b.��� The final report that is
prepared by the commissioner, pursuant to subsection a. of this section, shall
be submitted to the Governor and Legislature within 30 days following the
termination of the five-year pilot program.� In addition to the information required
by subsection a. of this section, the commissioner�s final report shall include
findings and recommendations indicating whether and how the pilot program
should be established on a permanent basis.

���� 4.��� This act shall take
effect immediately, but shall expire upon the conclusion of the five-year pilot
program.

STATEMENT

���� This bill requires the
Commissioner of Human Services, within 180 days after the bill�s effective
date, to establish a five-year pilot program to facilitate the coordinated
provision of systemic, therapeutic, assessment, resource, and treatment (START)
services to eligible adults in the State.� An �eligible adult� is defined by
the bill as a person who has both a developmental disability and a mental
illness and is eligible to receive services from the Department of Human
Services (DHS).�

���� The dual purposes of the pilot
program will be to:� 1) utilize appropriate crisis planning methods and the
cross-system coordination of services as a means to promote and enhance the
health, wellbeing, and ongoing mental stability of eligible adults residing at
home in the community, in order to enable eligible adults to avoid
institutionalization and maintain community-based residence; and 2) provide
eligible adults with a therapeutic space, within the community, which can be
used both for their respite, as a means to stave-off potential crisis, and for
their stabilization in times of actual crisis.��

���� In implementing the pilot
START program, the Commissioner of Human Services will be required to:

���� 1)��� develop effective
community, regional, and Statewide partnerships and efficient cross-system
service linkages, as may be necessary to ensure the timely and coordinated
provision of START services to all eligible adults in the State;

���� 2)��� ensure that the pilot
program utilizes a person-centered and solutions-focused approach, employs
positive psychology and other evidence-based practices, and prioritizes and
optimizes the independence, therapeutic treatment, and community-based living
of eligible adults, consistent with the START program model established in 1988
and promoted by the Center for START Services at the University of New
Hampshire Institute on Disability; and

���� 3)��� designate at least one
facility in each of the northern, central, and southern regions of the State to
serve as a therapeutic respite home under the pilot program.� Each therapeutic
respite home designated under the bill is to contain at least two respite beds
and two stabilization beds for use by eligible adults in the region.� Respite
beds are to be reserved for use by an eligible adult who is not in crisis, but
whose crisis management and stabilization plan provides for the occasional use
of therapeutic respite services as a means by which to prevent the onset of a
behavioral health crisis.� Stabilization beds are to be reserved for use by
eligible adults who are actively experiencing a behavioral health crisis.

���� The pilot START program will
be designed to coordinate the cross-system provision of relevant services to
eligible adults.� Relevant services are to include, but need not be limited to:

���� 1)��� individualized,
cross-system assessment and diagnostic services to be used in identifying
eligible adults and assessing and meeting their service needs;

���� 2)��� on-site and remote
crisis response and stabilization services, which are to be made available to
eligible adults, immediately upon request or referral, 24 hours per day, seven
days per week;

���� 3)��� therapeutic respite and
stabilization care, which is to be provided in a therapeutic respite home to
any adult in crisis and to any eligible adult whose crisis management and
stabilization plan provides for the occasional and temporary use of therapeutic
respite as a means by which to prevent the onset of a behavioral health crisis;

���� 4)��� ongoing and
individualized cross-system crisis prevention and response planning services,
which are to be made available, upon request or referral, to eligible adults
and the family members, guardians, and caregivers thereof, and which are to
include, at a minimum, the development of a personalized crisis management and
stabilization plan for each eligible adult, which:� a) identifies strategies
that can be used by the eligible adult and the family members, guardian, or
caregivers thereof to proactively prevent a behavioral health crisis; and b)
describes the means and methods that will be used, in the event of a behavioral
health crisis, to facilitate the eligible adult�s timely receipt of appropriate
crisis intervention, response, counseling, and stabilization services in the
least restrictive, non-institutional setting; and

���� 5)��� cross-system service
coordination and referral services, and clinical and non-clinical consultation,
education, and training services and sessions, which are to be made available
to eligible adults and the family members, guardians, and caregivers thereof,
in order to:� a) help eligible adults and their family members, guardians, and
caregivers identify and make full use of all available START services; b)
promptly link eligible adults to, and coordinate each adult�s receipt of,
appropriate START services; and c) ensure the effective implementation of
crisis management and stabilization plans.

���� The bill requires the
Commissioner of Human Services, at the end of each year of the pilot program�s
operation, to submit a written report to the Governor and Legislature.� Each
annual report is to identify, at a minimum:�

���� 1)��� the number of eligible
adults in each of the northern, central, and southern regions of the State who
are receiving services under the pilot program;

���� 2)��� the location of each
therapeutic respite home designated under the bill, and the number of respite
beds and stabilization beds that are available at each therapeutic respite
home;

���� 3)��� the number of eligible
adults in each of the northern, central, and southern regions of the State who
have utilized respite or stabilization services provided by a therapeutic
respite home, and the average amount of time that eligible adults have spent in
residential respite care or stabilization care;

���� 4)��� any problems or other
factors that are affecting the implementation of the pilot program or reducing
its effectiveness, and any actions that are being recommended or undertaken to
address those problems; and

���� 5)��� the commissioner�s
findings and conclusions regarding the effectiveness of the pilot program�s
ongoing operations.

���� The commissioner�s final
report, which is to be submitted within 30 days following the termination of
the five-year pilot program, will additionally be required to include the
commissioner�s findings and recommendations with respect to whether and how the
pilot program should be established on a permanent basis.

���� This bill will take effect
immediately, but will expire upon the termination of the five-year pilot
program.