Full-service partnerships.

Assembly Member Krell's behavioral health legislation establishes new eligibility criteria for California's full-service partnership programs, creating automatic qualification pathways for individuals with serious mental illness who meet specific high-risk conditions. The bill defines presumptive eligibility for those experiencing unsheltered homelessness, transitioning from extended institutional stays, facing repeated psychiatric detentions, or returning to communities after prolonged incarceration.

The measure institutes safeguards to prevent exclusion based solely on substance use disorder diagnoses while balancing service expansion with practical constraints. Counties retain discretion to limit enrollment when faced with capacity restrictions, existing Medi-Cal obligations, or court orders. The legislation requires licensed behavioral health clinicians to assess and recommend individuals for program participation, with documentation maintained in clinical records.

Full-service partnerships must provide comprehensive care including mental health services, substance use treatment, housing support, and evidence-based interventions such as Assertive Community Treatment. The bill allows smaller counties with populations under 200,000 to request exemptions from certain service model requirements through a standardized state approval process. All services remain funded through the existing Behavioral Health Services Fund, with no new funding allocations required.