PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 27th, 2022
The Michigan Guardianship Association (“MGA”) is pleased to announce that four bills, Senate Bill 1102 & 1103 and House Bills 6252 & 6253 were introduced this week in the Michigan Legislature. The bills are identical between both Chambers so there will be 2 bills in the Senate and 2 bills in the House. MGA would like to thank Senator Curt VanderWall and Representative T.C. Clements for sponsoring this historic legislation.
MGA has worked on certification Legislation dating back nearly 10 years, but shelved the effort when Governor Snyder was opposed to adding anymore professional licenses, registrations or certifications. We have decided to pursue this Association priority once again.
These bills, if passed by the Legislature and signed into law by the Governor, will implement a state-mandated certification process for professional guardians and conservators.
MGA believes one of the most important things we can do to protect the most vulnerable is to ensure that those who seek to be appointed as a guardian or conservator have met certain standards, including passing the national standardized exam and clear a criminal background check. We hope to weed out any individual or business that seeks to prey upon this population and physically, mentally or financially abuse them.
Furthermore, it is our hope that by using the Legislative process, any and all organizations can offer their thoughts and ideas out in the open for all to see and consider.
Links to Legislation
Senate Bills
House Bills
Click Here To View MGA – Overview of Legislation 6-24-2022
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 7, 2019
CONTACT: Lynn Sutfin, 517-241-2112, SutfinL1@michigan.gov
Community listening forum on state psychiatric hospital project is June 13 in Caro
Comments may also be submitted via email
LANSING, Mich. – A community listening forum is being conducted by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) along with independent consultant Myers and Stauffer to gather input about a new state psychiatric hospital facility in Michigan. The forum is being held in the Caro Community Schools auditorium at 301 Hooper St. in Caro on June 13, 3 – 6 p.m.
MDHHS contracted with Myers and Stauffer to conduct an evaluation of the process and decision to locate a newly constructed state psychiatric hospital facility in Caro. In 2017, the state legislature authorized financing to construct a new hospital on the Caro site. The new Caro Psychiatric Hospital was scheduled to be completed in 2021 and serve 200 adults, an increase of 50 beds from the existing facility.
Earlier this year, concerns about staffing, ability for patients’ families to be involved in their treatment and water accessibility caused state officials to delay the Caro Center Reconstruction project to allow for an independent review and recommendation on next steps to best meet the needs of Michigan’s citizens.
Interested individuals are invited to provide comments on the following areas consistent with the scope of the evaluation:
- The process by which Caro Psychiatric Hospital facility location was determined.
- The status of current psychiatric hospital bed capacity and unmet bed needs.
- Input regarding the appropriate location(s) for state hospital construction.
- Continuing or revising the current Caro build approach to better meet the needs of citizens requiring state hospital supports.
Individuals who are unable to attend the community forum can comment regarding this issue by e-mailing MICaroEvaluation@MSLC.com. Comments will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 19.
PRESS RELEASE
MGA Featured On NPR
Tuesday, March 27th 2019
Today MGA Vice President and Legislative Committee Chair Georgia Callis was interviewed on the NPR program Stateside. She was able to discuss the importance of Guardianship in Michigan and the new Elder Law Task Force established by AG Dana Nessel. Click the link below to read the small article and listen to the interview.
PRESS RELEASE
MEDICAID RATE REMINDER
Monday, September 17th 2018
With October billing cycles fast approaching we want to provide membership with a reminder.
Despite all of our hard work, the 2018-2019 budget changes were not what we had hoped for. The nursing home Medicaid rate has been decreased from $95 to $83 per month. This will be effective on 10/1/18.
We are continuing to work with the Legislation and will provide updates as soon as new information becomes available via member email blasts, as well as at the Fall Conference on October 26th in Grand Rapids.
PRESS RELEASE
MEDICAID RATE UPDATE
Thursday, September 6th 2018
What’s new?
Despite all of our hard work, the 2018-2019 budget changes were not what we had hoped for. After a successful raise to the medicaid rate last year we had moved on to obtaining funding for CMH clients. After working with legislators and educating everyone who would listen on the matter the following changes were instituted:
- Our monthly Medicaid rate has been decreased from $95 to $83 per month. This will be effective on 10/1/18.
- The Legislature also created a 1.5 million dollar matching fund for Counties to provide up to $83 per month for Community Mental Health clients to supplement guardianship payments. This will be also be effective on 10/1/18.
While the loss of the Medicaid Rate would have not been as severe if the added funding for current non paying guardianship cases had been resolved. However, we believe it will be very difficult or near impossible to implement this matching at each county level.
So what’s next?
MGA is actively working with legislation and will be meeting with the Governors office this week to attempt to provide an appropriation solution for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. We will not go down without a fight!
We will provide updates as soon as new information becomes available via member email blasts, as well as at the Fall Conference on October 26th in Grand Rapids.
PRESS RELEASE
MEDICAID INCREASE UPDATE
Friday, September 8, 2017
In our last update MGA advised that the DHHS Conference Committee adopted the conference report Thursday, June 8th which was one of the last steps to finalizing the FY 2017-18 budget. We are happy to confirm the effective October 1, 2017 the monthly Medicaid rate is officially increased from $83 to $95 per month. Be sure to update your billing software and office procedures to reflect this change. You will find two buttons below. Both provide the language from Act 107 of Public Acts of 2017. We provided the whole document (284 pages) and just the single page for your convenience. The specific excerpt can be found via Public Act 107, Page 179, Section 1606. Please note that the actual page number is 177, but we count the first two cover pages that are not numbered.
Community Mental Health Increase
The second legislative success resulting from Capitol Day is the plan to increase the rate for CMH clients to $95 per month as well. As per our previous update they have to submit a report to the Legislature by March 1, 2018. This is in time for the Legislature to possibly include something into next year’s budget which would be effective on 10/1/18.
PRESS RELEASE
MEDICAID INCREASE UPDATE
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Capitol Day results in action…
All of our hard work has paid off. The DHHS Conference Committee adopted the conference report Thursday, June 8th which is one of the last steps to finalizing the FY 2017-18 budget. The budget contains two major victories for MGA:
- Our monthly Medicaid rate was increased from $83 to $95 per month. This will be effective on 10/1/17.
- The Legislature also directed the Department and the Michigan Association of Community Mental Health Boards to jointly figure out how to pay public guardians for CMH clients at the same rate of $95 per month. They have to submit a report to the Legislature by March 1, 2018. This is in time for the Legislature to possibly include something into next year’s budget which would be effective on 10/1/8.
Click the button below to review the two relevant pages of the budget so you can see the actual language.
So what is next?
The Conference Report has to be adopted by the full House and Senate and then it goes to the Governor for his consideration. The House and Senate cannot change the conference report on the floor but the Governor does have line item veto power which is most unlikely.
Big kudos to the entire MGA family that came out for Capitol Day and helped to spread the message. There is no doubt that your participation and effort impacted the outcome.
PRESS RELEASE
MEDICAID INCREASE UPDATE
Friday, October 28, 2016
Georgia Callis Vice President of MGA and owner of Guardian Care Inc. received the following information from DHHS today. Looks like Michigan Guardians can officially look forward to the raise as of December 1st!
Effective December 1, 2016 the Medicaid guardianship/conservator disregard and Patient Pay offset will increase from $60 to $83. This change requires no specialist intervention. BEM 536, 540, 541, 546 will be updated as soon as possible to reflect this change.
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