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Lien Law Legislation Strives to Improve the Lives of Consumers and
Their Families
Assemblyman Reed
Gusciora (D15) in consultation with MHANJ, Community Health Law
Project, and NAMI - NJ has amended his lien law legislation to
include the following points. If it is passed into law, it will:
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Repeal of institutional lien laws for
treatment at psychiatric facilities. Those who are
institutionalized, or their parents/guardians, will still be
responsible for payment for treatment, but will not automatically
have a lien filed against them. If they do agree on some other
payment schedule or do not keep up their payments, a lien may be
filed against them.
-
Consumers and parents/guardians of
children under 18 will be charged, the same as any other illness,
according to the sliding-scale fee schedule used in the Charity
Care program, which is based on income level (below a certain
level, no payment is required).
-
For new hospitalizations, payment will
be capped at $5,000 per year and $10,000 per lifetime toward the
cost of treatment(s).
-
Eliminate existing liens against
people formerly confined to state or county psychiatric hospitals
and establish a sliding fee scale, based on the Charity Care fee
schedule. Total payment will be capped at $5,000 per year and
$10,000 per lifetime and based on their income at the time of
hospitalization.
-
Limit the responsibility to pay for
the hospitalization to the person who was hospitalized or the
parent/guardian of a hospitalized child under the age of 18.
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Eliminate the obligation of a consumer
or parent/guardian to contribute towards the cost of treatment
during any period in which the consumer is on “Conditional
Extension Pending Placement” (CEPP) status.
-
Create the ability of a spouse to set
aside assets to be protected and not used to pay the costs for the
institutionalized individual.
Lien law reform will
greatly improve the lives of consumers who are trying to recover.
Consumers have lost the opportunity to obtain credit cards, purchase
homes and cars and even obtain jobs, because of the discovery of
recorded liens against them from state and county psychiatric
hospitals.
What you Can Do
We’ve made great strides, but we’re still a long way from having
this become a reality. Your calls and letters urging members of the
Assembly Family, Women and Children’s Services Committee to vote in
favor of amending NJ’s institutionalized lien laws at their November
25 worked! The committee vote was unanimous in favor of A303. If you
can write these committee members and thank them for their support
of legislation which will favorable impact the recovery efforts of
mental health consumers and their families.
Please contact members of the
Assembly Appropriations Committee and ask them to post for review
and vote in favor of A303.
- Members of the
Assembly Appropriations Committee include:
1. Chairperson
Bonnie Watson Coleman (D15) 226 West State St. Trenton 08068,
609-292-0500, Fax 609-633-2179
aswwatsoncoleman@njleg.org
2. Vice-Chairperson
Nelida Pou (D35) 100 Hamilton Plaza, Suite 1405 Paterson 07505
973-247-1555, Fax 973-247-1550,
aswpou@njleg.org
3. Assemblyman
John J. Burzichelli (D3) 196 E. Broadway, Unit A, Salem 08079.
856-339-0808, Fax 856-339-9626,
asmburzichelli@njleg.org
4. Assemblyman
Herb Conaway (D7) Delran Professional Center, Suite 125, 8008 Route
130 No., Delran 08075. 856-461-3997, Fax 856-461-3823.
asmconaway@njleg.org
5. Assemblyman
Steve Corodemus (R11) 40 First Avenue. P.O. Box 266, Atlantic
Highlands 07716, 732-708-0900, Fax 732-708-0903,
asmcorodemus@njleg.org
6. Assemblyman
Louis Greenwald (D6) 231 Route 70 East, Cherry Hill 08034-2421.
856-428-3343, Fax 856-428-1358,
asmgreenwald@njleg.org
7. Assemblyman
Guy R. Gregg (R24) 268 Route 206, 1st Floor, Bldg.D,
Flanders 07836, 973-584-5422, Fax 973-584-2977,
asmgregg@njleg.org
8. Assemblyman
Mims Hackett (D27) 15 Village Plaza, Suite 2B, South Orange 07079,
973-762-1886, Fax 973-762-6118,
asmhackett@njleg.org
9. Assemblywoman
Rose Marie Heck (R38) 2 Mercer St., Suite 5A, Lodi 07644-1624,
973-777-6344, Fax 973-777-4274,
aswheck@njleg.org
10.
Assemblyman Joseph
Pennacchio, (R26) 101 Gibraltar Dr. Suite 1A, Morris Plains 07950,
973-984-0922, Fax 973-984-8094,
asmpennacchio@njleg.org
11.
Assemblyman Paul Sarlo
(D36) Fleet Bank Bldg., 2nd Floor, 207 Hackensack St.
Wood Ridge 07075. 201-804-8118, Fax 201-804-8644,
asmsarlo@njleg.org
Please contact members of the Senate Health and
Human Services Committee and ask them to post for review and vote in
favor of the Senate version of the bill sponsored by Senator Diane
Allen (R7).
- Members of the
Senate Health and Human Services Committee are:
1. Co-Chairperson
John J. Matheussen (R4) P.O. Box 8019, Suite 2-B,Greentree Building
Greentree Rd. and Black Horse Pike, Turnersville 08012.
856-228-8552, Fax 856-228-1925,
senmatheussen@njleg.org
2. Co-Chairperson
Joseph Vitale (D19) 87 Main St., Woodbridge, 07095, 732-855-7441,
732-855-7558,
senvitale@njleg.org
3. Senator
Diane Allen (R7) 2313 Burlington-Mt. Holly Rd., Burlington Twp,
08016, 609-239-2800, 609-239-2673,
senallen@njleg.org
4. Senator
Barbara Buono (D18) 100 Plainfield Ave., Suite 1, Edison 08817,
732-819-8141, Fax 732-819-8204,
senbuono@njleg.org
5. Senator
Ronald Rice (D28) 1044 South Orange Ave., Newark 07106,
973-371-5665, Fax 973-371-6738,
senrice@njleg.org
6. Senator
Robert Singer (R30) 2110 West County Line Rd. Jackson 08527,
732-901-0702, Fax 732-901-0587,
sensinger@njleg.org
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