SB 222 Louisiana Senate · 2026 Regular Session

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH: Provides for Medicaid behavioral health services. (gov sig) (EN NO IMPACT See Note)

SB 222 streamlines Medicaid behavioral health services in Louisiana by removing unnecessary administrative barriers for providers. It prohibits requiring pre-employment reference letters (§302), eliminates most CPR/first aid certification demands for staff (§303), aligns documentation timelines with federal standards (§305), and allows physician assistants with specific experience to serve as medical directors (§307). The bill also requires the state to seek federal approval for telehealth reimbursement of psychosocial services by July 2026 (§308). These changes directly affect Medicaid behavioral health providers, aiming to reduce duplication and expand workforce flexibility while maintaining care quality.

Issues: ✓ Healthcare

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

May 2026

House Passage

May 2026

Signed into Law

May 2026

Introduced Feb 26, 2026 Signed May 29, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

SB222 Original → SB222 Act 476 · 9 edits

MAJOR

This bill updates the official status of SB 222 to 'Enrolled' and Act No. 476, finalizing its passage into law. It reorganizes the text to align with federal standards, clarifies definitions for mental health services, and modifies requirements for staff supervision, training, and documentation to reduce unnecessary barriers while maintaining patient safety.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on Medicaid behavioral health services in Louisiana, but the applicability of specific rules has been refined to align with federal CMS guidelines and licensing board standards.

TECHNICAL

Updated the document header to reflect the bill's final 'Enrolled' status and assigned it Act No. 476.

REQUIREMENT

Reordered and clarified sections regarding pre-employment reference letters, CPR training, and staff supervision to ensure they align with federal and state licensing requirements.

Relaxed requirements for CPR, first aid, and seizure assessment training, allowing them only when mandated by federal, state, or licensing laws for specific settings like residential or inpatient facilities.

Clarified that supervision meeting licensing board standards satisfies program requirements, eliminating duplicative supervision for provisionally licensed staff.

Expanded the list of medical professionals who can satisfy nursing requirements for medication administration to include advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants.

Allowed physician assistants to serve as medical directors if they have two years of qualifying experience in treating psychiatric disorders.

Updated documentation timeliness standards to include broader exceptions for emergencies and defined late-entry attestations.

Expanded the list of eligible staff who can administer medication to include advanced practice registered nurses.

DEFINITION

Added specific legal definitions for 'Cardiopulmonary resuscitation', 'Community psychiatric support and treatment services', 'CMS', 'Department', and 'Psychosocial rehabilitation services'.

SB222 Enrolled → SB222 Original · 6 edits

MODERATE

This bill updates the Louisiana Revised Statutes to modernize Medicaid behavioral health regulations by removing outdated definitions and aligning documentation and supervision rules with federal standards. It expands workforce flexibility by allowing physician assistants to serve as medical directors and clarifies that nursing requirements for medication administration can be met by physicians or physician assistants. The legislation also prohibits the requirement of pre-employment reference letters for behavioral health staff while allowing primary source verification of credentials.

Scope change

The bill modifies the scope of the existing Chapter 2 of Title 28 by replacing the old 'Definitions' section with a new focus on pre-employment references, CPR training, supervision alignment, documentation timeliness, nursing equivalency, and medical director qualifications.

DEFINITION

Removed the old definitions for 'Cardiopulmonary resuscitation', 'Community psychiatric support and treatment services', 'Psychosocial rehabilitation services', and 'Psychosocial rehabilitation services'.

REQUIREMENT

Added a prohibition requiring pre-employment reference letters for provider enrollment or staff credentialing, though primary source verification of employment history and licensure remains allowed.

Modified CPR and first aid training requirements to only mandate certification for staff working in residential, inpatient, or medication administration settings where federal or state law requires it.

Added provisions allowing physician assistants with two years of qualifying experience to serve as medical directors for Medicaid behavioral health providers.

Modified nursing requirements to allow a licensed physician, psychiatrist, or physician assistant to satisfy the need for a nurse on staff when the sole purpose is medication administration.

TIMELINE

Added a requirement for the Department of Health to submit a state plan amendment to CMS by July 1, 2026, to authorize reimbursement for telehealth-delivered psychosocial rehabilitation services.

Floor votes · Senate Apr 8, 2026 · House May 11, 2026

How they voted

37–0

Passed · 3 other

Total votes 40

Apr 8, 2026

D Democratic12

12 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican28

25 Yea 3

89% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

May 20, 2026

Upper · Passed

Amendments proposed by the House read and concurred in by a vote of 32 yeas and 0 nays.

upper

May 11, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 92, nays 0. Finally passed, ordered to the Senate.

lower

May 5, 2026

Introduced

Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments.

lower

Apr 29, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported with amendments (12-0). Referred to the Legislative Bureau.

lower

Apr 13, 2026

Committee

Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.

lower

Apr 8, 2026

Upper · Passed

Read by title, passed by a vote of 36 yeas and 0 nays, and sent to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

upper

Mar 25, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported with amendments.

upper

Mar 9, 2026

Committee

Introduced in the Senate; read by title. Rules suspended. Read second time and referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors