IndianaSB 222Second Regular Session 124th General Assembly (2026)SenateWALLET

Family and social services administration matters.

Sponsored By: Sponsor information unavailable

Signed by Governor

Summary

Adds the 9-8-8 crisis response center and a mobile crisis team as first responders. Requires certified peers to be trained and certified by the division of mental health and addiction or an approved nationally accredited certification body. Amends the definition of "qualified provider" concerning the Medicaid program. Requires the office of the secretary of family and social services to limit presumptive eligibility determinations to qualified providers and sets forth requirements. Requires rules to be adopted concerning the implementation and administration of certification requirements for specified entities and amends standards. Allows a home health agency that meets certain conditions to continue to provide services to a Medicaid recipient and receive Medicaid reimbursement while the home health agency's application for Medicare enrollment is pending if the home health agency submitted the application or initiated the enrollment process before April 1, 2026. Changes the name of the division of disability and rehabilitative services to the division of disability, aging, and rehabilitative services. Repeals the division of aging and moves existing statutes and administrative rules to other locations. Renames the bureau of aging and in-home services to the bureau of better aging (bureau) and designates the bureau to perform certain duties once performed by the division of aging. Eliminates the requirement of a preferred drug list report. Extends the expiration of the micro facility pilot program. Authorizes the legislative services agency to prepare any legislation necessary to conform with the changes made.

health and provider servicesthe housepublic health

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

14 provisions identified: 10 benefits, 0 costs, 4 mixed.

Medicaid home health payments can continue

Qualifying home health agencies can keep serving Medicaid patients and receiving Medicaid payments while Medicare enrollment is pending. Agencies must hold a state license and remain enrolled and in good standing with Medicaid. Before April 1, 2026, they must have applied to Medicare or begun enrollment through a Medicare-approved accrediting organization.

Caregiver help includes respite cost sharing

Beginning July 1, 2026, people age 65 or older qualify if they give ongoing unpaid care to an adult age 18 or older with special needs, or receive that care. Special needs include Alzheimer’s or a related disorder, inability to do at least two daily activities, or another condition set by rule. Area agencies on aging provide information, help finding services, counseling, support groups, training, and respite care. The Bureau must set a respite cost-sharing formula; the law sets no payment amount. The law also repeals the older respite care chapter, but does not state that all respite services end.

More Medicaid screening with application deadlines

Beginning July 1, 2026, qualified providers beyond hospitals can approve temporary Medicaid eligibility. Providers must meet state standards, enroll in Medicaid, and keep a valid state agreement. They must report decisions within five business days and help people submit full applications. To continue coverage beyond the temporary period, applicants must file by the last day of the following month. Provider enforcement moves from notice to training; a third violation within the specified 12-month period ends their screening authority.

Residents get clearer staffing information rights

Indiana state institutions must post notices explaining residents’ rights to request on-duty nursing and direct care staff names by job type. Requests can cover the resident’s wing, unit, or usual care area. Residents, legal representatives, and people designated by residents can make requests. Posters must be at least 11 by 17 inches, with print at least 24 points. They must include the superintendent’s business number, the division’s toll-free complaint number, and steps to take when information is withheld.

Seniors get service navigation and hearings

Beginning July 1, 2026, designated area agencies on aging must provide Aging and Disability Resource Center functions. These functions help older adults and people with disabilities find available services. Before changing an agency’s service area, the state must hold a public hearing in every county it serves. The state must then wait one year after the hearing before making the change.

Small child care pilot waivers last longer

Beginning July 1, 2026, selected micro child-care licensees get a longer period for pilot waivers and variances. Waivers expire by December 31, 2027, or an earlier date set by the state. Participants must operate an existing microfacility or propose opening one within 60 days after applying. The state must select the licensee for the pilot. The pilot’s governing chapter expires January 1, 2028.

Autopsy access supports service death reviews

Beginning July 1, 2026, coroners must provide full autopsy reports to the disability, aging, and rehabilitative services director upon written request. The request must support a division review of the circumstances surrounding a death. The person must have received services from or through a division at the time of death.

Community care rules must avoid barriers

Beginning July 1, 2026, the Bureau must set training standards for continuum-of-care providers and promote best practices. This care system must include services to prevent and treat mental illness and addiction. Rules must protect care recipients without creating costly or overly burdensome barriers to home and community services.

Counties can fund disability service centers

Beginning July 1, 2026, counties may provide annual general-fund support to qualifying centers serving people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The county executive must request the funding, and the county fiscal body may approve it. Annual support cannot exceed the amount collectible from a levy of $0.0067 per $100 of taxable property. Centers must serve the county and meet Indiana nonprofit incorporation, state approval, and approved national accreditation requirements. Funding is optional, not a required appropriation or a new household benefit.

Indiana strengthens dementia planning and coordination

Beginning July 1, 2026, the Bureau of Better Aging must create a statewide plan to identify and reduce dementia. The plan reviews trends, costs, services, workforce, access, care quality, disparities, and research support. The Bureau may hire a coordinator to support the plan and dementia care specialist programs. The coordinator may guide best practices, set staff training requirements, and provide resources and technical help. Annual reporting to lawmakers includes implementation results and coordinator analysis, with the plan report due December 1.

New standards for crisis and recovery

Beginning July 1, 2026, Indiana’s mental health division administers certification standards for community behavioral health clinics and certified peers. Recovery residences and recovery community organizations must be certified by the division or its designee. Mobile crisis teams must be certified and include a certified peer plus at least one listed professional or responder. Listed team members include licensed professionals, emergency medical personnel, and law enforcement co-responders. The 9-8-8 crisis center definition covers designated network centers answering statewide or regional calls, texts, and other messages.

New voices guide disability and home care

The law creates an advisory council to guide supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It brings technical expertise and lived experience into service planning. Beginning July 1, 2026, the home care services board grows to 17 members. The added member is appointed by the governor from nominations by statewide groups representing direct service workers. That member serves an initial three-year term, followed by four-year terms.

Free emergency folders carry legal limits

Beginning July 1, 2026, Indiana offers the voluntary Yellow Dot emergency medical information program free of charge. Participants display a vehicle decal and store the form in the designated compartment; folders come through aging agencies and license branches. Forms can list up to two emergency contacts and two health care providers. After an accident or emergency involving a marked vehicle, responders may search for the folder and use it to guide care. Legal protections cover specified responder contact and information-sharing actions, plus providers’ good-faith reliance on folder information, limiting legal claims.

Abuse reporting duties add penalties

Beginning July 1, 2026, anyone with reason to believe an endangered adult or a person of any age with a mental or physical disability suffered battery, neglect, or exploitation must report the supporting facts. Reports go to the disability and aging division, designated adult protective services unit, or appropriate law enforcement agency. Knowingly failing to report is a Class B misdemeanor, and police must immediately send received reports to adult protective services. Retaliating against a good-faith reporter is a Class A infraction. Unlawful disclosure of covered protective-services records by division or protective-services officers or employees is a Class C infraction.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsors

There is no primary sponsor on record.

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 184 • No: 3

Senate vote • 2/25/2026

Senate concurred with House amendments

Yes: 45 • No: 2

House vote • 2/9/2026

Third reading: passed

Yes: 95 • No: 0

Senate vote • 1/22/2026

Third reading: passed

Yes: 44 • No: 1

Actions Timeline

  1. Public Law 122

    3/5/2026Senate
  2. Signed by the Governor

    3/5/2026Senate
  3. Signed by the Speaker

    2/27/2026House
  4. Signed by the President Pro Tempore

    2/27/2026Senate
  5. Signed by the President of the Senate

    2/27/2026Senate
  6. Senate concurred with House amendments; Roll Call 282: yeas 45, nays 2

    2/25/2026Senate
  7. Motion to concur filed

    2/16/2026Senate
  8. Returned to the Senate with amendments

    2/10/2026House
  9. Third reading: passed; Roll Call 209: yeas 95, nays 0

    2/9/2026House
  10. Second reading: ordered engrossed

    2/5/2026House
  11. Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

    2/3/2026House
  12. First reading: referred to Committee on Public Health

    1/28/2026House
  13. Referred to the House

    1/23/2026Senate
  14. Third reading: passed; Roll Call 57: yeas 44, nays 1

    1/22/2026Senate
  15. House sponsor: Representative Barrett

    1/22/2026Senate
  16. Senator Randolph added as coauthor

    1/22/2026Senate
  17. Senator Busch added as second author

    1/22/2026Senate
  18. Second reading: ordered engrossed

    1/20/2026Senate
  19. Senator Crider added as third author

    1/20/2026Senate
  20. Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

    1/15/2026Senate
  21. First reading: referred to Committee on Health and Provider Services

    1/8/2026Senate
  22. Authored by Senator Charbonneau

    1/8/2026Senate

Bill Text

  • Enrolled Senate Bill (S)

  • Introduced Senate Bill (S)

  • Senate Bill (H)

  • Senate Bill (S)

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