California Department Of
Health Care Services (DHCS),
PASRR Section
Pre-Admission Screening and
Resident Review
About Our Program
The Nursing Home Reform Act was passed as part of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 (OBRA-87), and amended by Public Law 100-203 and 101-508, creating the Pre-Admission Screening and Resident Review (PASRR) process. (Refer to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) title 42, part 483, sections 483.100-483.138 to view PASRR regulations).
The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), PASRR Section is responsible for determining if individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) and/or intellectual/developmental disability (ID/DD) or related conditions (RC) require:
- Nursing facility services, considering the least restrictive setting
- Specialized services
This is achieved by completing the PASRR process. The PASRR process consists of a Level I Screening, Level II Evaluation, and a final Determination.
Level I Screening
The Screening is submitted online by the facility and is a tool that helps identify possible SMI and/or ID/DD/RC.
Level II Evaluation
If the Screening is positive for possible SMI and/or ID/DD/RC, then a Level II Evaluation will be performed. The Level II Evaluation helps determine placement and specialized services. The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is responsible for SMI Level II Evaluations, which by law must be performed by a third party contractor, Kepro. The Department of Developmental Services (DDS) is responsible for ID/DD/RC Evaluations.
If the nursing facility, hospital, or the individual being screened prefers telehealth, we will accommodate and schedule using Microsoft Teams for the virtual assessment. Please provide a completed consent form. A printable copy can be found below.
Determination
The SMI Determination will be available online and will include placement and treatment recommendations for the individual. The ID/DD/RC Determinations will be issued by DDS, please contact DDS for questions regarding the Determination.