The bill enacts a new section, R.S. 15:830.3, to establish a mental health transition pilot program administered by the Department of Public Safety and Corrections in the parishes of Livingston, St. Helena, and Tangipahoa. This program aims to provide transition services to individuals on probation or parole who have mental health disorders, as defined by the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Eligible individuals must schedule and attend mental health or substance use disorder treatment appointments and complete a Medicaid application as conditions of their probation or parole.

Additionally, the Department of Public Safety and Corrections is required to participate in a demonstration waiver established by the Louisiana Department of Health and approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The department will conduct an annual study to assess the recidivism rates of individuals receiving mental health transition services and report the findings to key state officials. This report will compare the recidivism rates of those who received services with those who did not, providing valuable data on the program's effectiveness in reducing reoffending among individuals with serious mental health disorders.