Powers and duties of the department, secretary, and counties; long-term care
Wis. Stat. § 46.281
in effect(1d) Waiver request. The department shall request from the secretary of the federal department of health and human services any waivers of federal medicaid laws necessary to permit the use of federal moneys to provide the family care benefit and the self-directed services option to recipients of medical assistance. The department shall implement any waiver that is approved and that is consistent with ss. 46.2805 to 46.2895. Regardless of whether a waiver is approved, the department may implement operation of resource centers, care management organizations, and the family care benefit.
(1g) Contracting for resource centers and care management organizations.
(a) Subject to par. (b), the department may contract with entities as provided under s. 46.283 (2) to provide the services under s. 46.283 (3) and (4) as resource centers in any geographic area in the state, and may contract with entities as provided under s. 46.284 (2) to administer the family care benefit as care management organizations in any geographic area in the state.
(b) If the department proposes to contract with entities to administer the family care benefit in geographic areas in which, in the aggregate, resides more than 29 percent of the state population that is eligible for the family care benefit, the department shall first submit to the joint committee on finance in writing the proposed contract for the approval of the committee. The submission shall include the contract proposal; and an estimate of the fiscal impact of the proposed addition that demonstrates that the addition will be cost neutral, including startup, transitional, and ongoing operational costs and any proposed county contribution. The submission shall also include, for each county affected by the proposal, documentation that the county consents to administration of the family care benefit in the county, the amount of the county’s payment or reduction in community aids under s. 46.281 (4), and a proposal by the county for using any savings in county expenditures on long-term care that result from administration of the family care benefit in the county. The department may enter into the proposed contract only if the committee approves the proposed contract. The procedures under s. 13.10 do not apply to this paragraph.
(1k) Worker’s compensation coverage. An individual who is performing services for a person receiving the Family Care benefit, or benefits under Family Care Partnership, on a self-directed basis and who does not otherwise have worker’s compensation coverage for those services is considered, for purposes of worker’s compensation coverage, to be an employee of the entity that is providing financial management services for that person.
(1n) Other duties of the department. The department shall do all of the following:
(a) Prescribe and implement a per person monthly rate structure for costs of the family care benefit.
(b) In order to maintain continuous quality assurance and quality improvement for resource centers and care management organizations, do all of the following:
1. Prescribe by rule and by contract and enforce performance standards for operation of resource centers and care management organizations.
2. Use performance expectations that are related to outcomes for persons in contracting with care management organizations and resource centers.
3. Conduct ongoing evaluations of managed care programs for provision of long-term care services that are funded by medical assistance, as defined in s. 46.278 (1m) (b), as to client access to services, the availability of client choice of living and service options, quality of care, and cost-effectiveness. In evaluating the availability of client choice, the department shall evaluate the opportunity for a client to arrange for, manage, and monitor his or her family care benefit directly or with assistance, as specified in s. 46.284 (4) (e).
4. Require that quality assurance and quality improvement efforts be included throughout the long-term care system specified in ss. 46.2805 to 46.2895.
5. Ensure that reviews of the quality of management and service delivery of resource centers and care management organizations are conducted by external organizations and make information about specific review results available to the public.
(c) Require by contract that resource centers and care management organizations establish procedures under which an individual who applies for or receives the family care benefit may register a complaint or grievance and procedures for resolving complaints and grievances.
(e) Contract with a person to provide the advocacy services described under s. 16.009 (2) (p) 1. to 5. to actual or potential recipients of the family care benefit who are under age 60 or to their families or guardians. The department may not contract under this paragraph with a county or with a person who has a contract with the department to provide services under s. 46.283 (3) and (4) as a resource center or to administer the family care benefit as a care management organization. The contract under this paragraph shall include as a goal that the provider of advocacy services provide one advocate for every 2,500 individuals under age 60 who receive the family care benefit or who participates in the self-directed services option.
(f) From the appropriation under s. 20.435 (7) (b), provide $75,000 annually to Grant County to provide, with respect to issues concerning family care benefits, liaison services between the county and a managed care organization and advocacy services on behalf of the county.
(2) Other powers of the department. The department may develop risk-sharing arrangements in contracts with care management organizations, in accordance with applicable state laws and federal statutes and regulations.
(4) County contribution.
(a) In this subsection, “base amount” means the amount that a county expended in calendar year 2006, as determined by the department, to provide long-term care services to individuals who would have been eligible for the family care benefit in calendar year 2006 if the family care benefit had been available to residents of the county.
(b) Except as provided in par. (c), each county in which the department has a contract with an entity to administer the family care benefit shall in each year of the contract either pay the department the following amount or agree to reduce the community aids distribution to the county under s. 46.40 (2) by the following amount:
1. If the base amount for the county is less than or equal to 22 percent of the calendar year 2006 community aids distribution to the county under s. 46.40 (2), the base amount.
2. If the base amount for the county is greater than 22 percent of the calendar year 2006 community aids distribution to the county under s. 46.40 (2), the following amounts in the following years:
a. For the first year that the department contracts for administration of the family care benefit in the county, the base amount for the county.
b. For the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th years that the department contracts for administration of the family care benefit in the county, the amount from the previous year minus 25 percent of the difference between the base amount for the county and 22 percent of the calendar year 2006 community aids distribution to the county under s. 46.40 (2).
c. For the 5th year and each subsequent year that the department contracts for administration of the family care benefit in the county, 22 percent of the calendar year 2006 community aids distribution to the county under s. 46.40 (2).
(c) Each county in which the department has a contract with an entity to administer the family care benefit, and in which the department had such a contract before January 1, 2006, shall annually either pay the department or agree to reduce the community aids distribution to the county under s. 46.40 (2) by the amount that the county paid the department, or by which the county’s community aids distribution was reduced, in calendar year 2006 to fund the program under ss. 46.2805 to 46.2895.
(d) The department shall deposit payments made by counties under this subsection in the appropriation account under s. 20.435 (4) (h).
Source: WI Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/46.281Fetched: 10/7/2026