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Assembly Bill A8734

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Enacts the individual counseling rate enhancement act

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Current Bill Status - In Assembly Committee

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2025-A8734 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Senate Version of this Bill:
S8363
Current Committee:
Assembly Alcoholism And Drug Abuse
Law Section:
Mental Hygiene Law
Laws Affected:
Add §19.18-d, Ment Hyg L

2025-A8734 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires a rate enhancement for reimbursement of individual psychotherapy services provided by a mental health counselor, a clinical social worker, or a psychologist where such services are provided in an outpatient substance use disorder clinic.

2025-A8734 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8734
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               June 2, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. STECK -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse
 
 AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to establishing  the
   individual counseling for integrated care rate enhancement act
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "individual
 counseling rate enhancement act".
   § 2. The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section 19.18-d
 to read as follows:
 § 19.18-D INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING RATE ENHANCEMENT.
   1. THE OFFICE SHALL ESTABLISH A RATE ENHANCEMENT FOR REIMBURSEMENT  OF
 INDIVIDUAL  PSYCHOTHERAPY  SERVICES  PROVIDED TO INDIVIDUALS BY A MENTAL
 HEALTH COUNSELOR LICENSED PURSUANT TO ARTICLE ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-THREE OF
 THE EDUCATION LAW OR A CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER LICENSED PURSUANT TO ARTI-
 CLE ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-FOUR  OF  THE  EDUCATION  LAW  OR  A  PSYCHOLOGIST
 LICENSED  PURSUANT  TO  ARTICLE ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-THREE OF THE EDUCATION
 LAW WHERE SUCH SERVICES ARE PROVIDED IN OUTPATIENT SUBSTANCE USE  DISOR-
 DER  CLINICS  LICENSED  PURSUANT  TO ARTICLE THIRTY-TWO OF THIS CHAPTER.
 SUCH RATE SHALL BE NO LESS THAN THE RATE ESTABLISHED BY THE  OFFICE  FOR
 INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING IN EFFECT ON APRIL FIRST, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
 PLUS A SERVICE RATE OF 50%.
   2.  THE  OFFICE  SHALL  PROMULGATE  REGULATIONS  TO IMPLEMENT THE RATE
 ENHANCEMENT SET FORTH UNDER THIS SECTION. IN DEVELOPING SUCH  RATES  THE
 OFFICE,  IN CONSULTATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, SHALL, IF NECES-
 SARY, PURSUE FEDERAL MEDICAID PARTICIPATION AND REIMBURSEMENT.    WITHIN
 THIRTY-SIX  MONTHS OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ENHANCED RATE, THE OFFICE
 SHALL EVALUATE AND REPORT WHETHER THE ACCESS TO INTEGRATED MENTAL HEALTH
 AND ADDICTION RECOVERY SERVICES INCREASED.  THE  OFFICE  SHALL  TRANSMIT
 SUCH  REPORT TO THE GOVERNOR, THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, THE
 SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY, THE MINORITY  LEADER  OF  THE  SENATE  AND  THE
 MINORITY LEADER OF THE ASSEMBLY.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

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