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Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill requires the Department of Health Services to establish for the
2019-21 fiscal biennium a community-based services grant program to distribute
awards to provider organizations offering facility-based prevocational and day
services who apply to initiate or increase and sustain their provision of
community-based services that create pathways to and increase competitive
integrated employment for people with disabilities. Under the bill, DHS must award
grants to providers who apply, develop a plan, and reach benchmarks they set that
are approved by DHS, providing grants to up to 30 providers that submit a proposal
to initiate or increase and sustain the organization's community-based employment
or community-based day services. DHS must give preference in awarding grant
funds to providers with the most aggressive and achievable benchmarks for
increasing competitive integrated employment and meaningful community
involvement for people with disabilities. The bill also requires DHS to distribute
performance-based awards to providers that achieve specific employment or
community-based day outcomes for individuals with intellectual or developmental
disabilities.
Under the bill, DHS must also distribute awards for subject matter experts,
including those with experience in Wisconsin's long-term care system, to assist
grant recipients with initiating or increasing and sustaining their provision of
community-based services consistent with the grant requirements and to assist with

necessary changes in business management practices to ensure financial viability in
the provision of community-based services. Finally, the bill allows DHS to transfer
the funds specified for the grants between fiscal years such that they can expend the
funds until they are gone, even beyond the 2019-21 fiscal biennium.
For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as
an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
AB845,1 1Section 1 . Nonstatutory provisions.
AB845,2,22 (1) Community-based services grant program.
AB845,2,143 (a) In the 2019-21 fiscal biennium, the department shall establish a grant
4program to award grants in a total amount not to exceed $5,250,000 to provider
5organizations offering facility-based prevocational and day services who choose to
6apply to initiate or increase and sustain their provision of community-based services
7that create pathways to and increase competitive integrated employment for people
8with disabilities. The department shall also award no more than $1,500,000 to
9subject matter experts, including those with experience in Wisconsin's long-term
10care system, who apply to help grant recipients under subd. 1. Providers may apply
11for a grant to participate in strategic planning and technical assistance activities in
12order to initiate or increase and sustain their community-based employment or
13community-based day services. In distributing the grants under this section, the
14department shall do all of the following:
AB845,3,615 1. Award on a competitive basis a total of $3,000,000 to providers who choose
16to apply, develop a plan, and reach benchmarks they set and that are approved by
17the department, providing grants for up to 30 service providers that submit a
18proposal of the organization's plan to initiate or increase and sustain the
19organization's community-based employment or community-based day services.

1The department shall distribute awards of at least $25,000 per recipient up to a
2maximum of $150,000 per recipient. Providers may apply for grants that can be
3implemented over a 24-month period. The department shall give preference in
4awarding grant funds to providers with the most aggressive and achievable
5benchmarks for increasing competitive integrated employment and meaningful
6community involvement for people with disabilities.
AB845,3,177 2. Distribute $2,250,000 in performance-based awards to providers that
8achieve specific employment or community-based day outcomes for individuals with
9intellectual or developmental disabilities. The department will award under this
10paragraph performance-based payments established in consultation with subject
11matter experts with experience in Wisconsin's long-term care system to selected
12providers that achieve outcomes that the provider identifies and meets that increase
13community-based services agency-wide over 2 years. A provider may be eligible for
14an award under this subdivision regardless of whether the provider is a grant
15recipient under subd. 1. The department shall give preference in awarding grant
16funds to providers with more aggressive and successful competitive integrated
17employment outcomes.
AB845,3,2418 3. Distribute $1,500,000 through a competitive solicitation for subject matter
19experts, including those with experience in Wisconsin's long-term care system, to
20provide guidance, consultation, training, and technical assistance to help grant
21recipients under subd. 1. initiate or increase and sustain their provision of
22community-based services consistent with the provider's activities under subd. 7.
23and assist with necessary changes in business management practices to ensure
24financial viability in the provision of community-based services.
AB845,4,4
14. Establish criteria for approving and distributing grants under subds. 1. and
23. and establish criteria, including identifying benchmark outcomes established in
3consultation with subject matter experts with experience in Wisconsin's long-term
4care system, for approving and distributing grants under subd. 2.
AB845,4,65 5. Review service provider applications at least every 6 months or until all
6available grant moneys have been awarded.
AB845,4,97 6. Require each applicant for a grant under subd. 1. to do all of the following
8and submit information regarding each aspect with the provider's grant application,
9along with any other information required by the department:
AB845,4,1110 a. Develop a workplan and budget with target numbers of program
11participants.
AB845,4,1212 b. Outline plans to equip staff and increase capacity.
AB845,4,1513 c. Identify plans to educate on community-based service options, communicate
14programmatic changes to program participants and their families, and facilitate
15changes to individualized plans.
AB845,4,1716 d. Identify plans to reallocate and restructure resources to support increased
17individualized community participation by program participants.
AB845,4,1918 e. Commit to increasing and sustaining community-based, integrated
19employment or day services.
AB845,4,2020 7. Require recipients of a grant under this subsection to do all of the following:
AB845,4,2221 a. Implement plans and adhere to commitments made as part of the provider's
22grant application under subd. 6.
AB845,4,2323 b. Participate in required technical assistance activities.
AB845,4,2424 c. Set and report on quarterly benchmarks to be achieved over the grant period.
AB845,5,2
1d. Report outcomes to the department within 30 days of the end of the
224-month project.
AB845,5,43 e. Implement strategies to address transportation barriers or develop
4individualized transportation solutions that can be sustained after the grant period.
AB845,5,95 (b) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to limit access to or choice of
6allowable services, including prevocational services provided in accordance with 42
7CFR parts 440
and 441, in the family care program under ss. 46.2805 to 46.2895, the
8Family Care Partnership program, and the self-directed services option, as defined
9in s. 46.2899 (1).
AB845,2 10Section 2. Fiscal changes.
AB845,5,1611 (1) Community-based services grants. In the schedule under s. 20.005 (3) for
12the appropriation to the department of health services under s. 20.435 (4) (b), the
13dollar amount for fiscal year 2019-20 is increased by $6,750,000 to award grants
14under Section 1 (1) of this act. Notwithstanding ss. 20.001 (3) (b) and 20.002 (1), the
15department of health services may transfer between fiscal years funds under this
16subsection for the purposes specified in this subsection.
AB845,5,1717 (End)
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