Assembly Bill 973 mandates the Department of Health Services (DHS) to award grants totaling $1,000,000 to ten counties for funding an economic support specialist position within their aging and disability resource centers (ADRCs). The bill specifies that six of these grants must be awarded with preference given to two rural, two suburban, and two urban counties. Additionally, if there are remaining funds after the initial ten grants are awarded, DHS has the authority to grant funding to an eleventh county. Grant recipients are required to submit a report within one year detailing the effectiveness of the funding, including the number of individuals served by the newly hired economic support specialist.

The bill also includes a repeal of the existing statute regarding economic support specialist grants, effectively replacing it with new provisions that outline the grant process and requirements. The new language specifies the conditions under which grants will be awarded and establishes a timeline for the DHS to act on these grants, with a deadline for awarding grants set for 12 months after the effective date of the new provisions. The repeal of the previous statute will take effect on July 1, 2027, ensuring a transition to the new grant framework.