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Ventura Unified explores billing students' insurers to sustain mental‑health services; parents and trustees press privacy, consent questions
Summary
The board heard a presentation on joining California’s CBHI cohort 2 and a proposed partnership with Healthy Campus to implement a multi‑payer fee schedule that could reimburse the district for many school‑based behavioral and medical services. Staff estimated a preliminary $1.9 million capacity grant; trustees and parents pressed concerns about FERPA vs. HIPAA, how consent and insurance data would be collected, and oversight of AI used to process claims.
The Ventura Unified School District Board on Oct. 8 heard a detailed briefing on a state program that would let schools bill students’ health insurance for behavioral and medical services the district already provides.
Superintendent Dr Castro and district staff described acceptance into California’s Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CBHI) cohort 2 and the district’s plan to apply for a School Link partnership and a capacity grant. Dr bis said the district’s preliminary grant allocation is “in the 1.9 million neighborhood” to be spent over five years and that the money would be used to build a complete billing and data ecosystem so these services can be sustained after earlier one‑time grant funds expire.
Why it matters: many school mental‑health programs were built with short‑term funding. The fee schedule creates a legal mechanism for school‑based counselors, social workers and therapists to generate claims that insurers must pay without…
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