May 17, 2008
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Medicaid


School-Based Medicaid Claiming

Under federal law, school districts are eligible to receive payment from Medicaid for health services delivered to Medicaid-eligible children with disabilities.

Why Is This Important To Your School District?

School districts may receive federal reimbursement for health services delivered to Medicaid-eligible children with disabilities who may need diagnostic, preventative, and rehabilitative services; speech, physical and occupational therapies.  In addition, school districts receive reimbursement for the transportation costs of such services and administrative costs such as outreach for enrollment purposes, and coordination and/or monitoring of medical care.

What To Tell Congress: NSBA's Position

Schools play a key role in identifying children for Medicaid and connecting them to needed services in schools and the community.  NSBA supports efforts to block the Administration from prohibiting school districts from claiming federal reimbursement for these services.

What's Happening Now In Congress?

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which oversees the federal-state entitlement program, finalized a rule (CMS-2287) on December 28, 2007 that would eliminate federal reimbursement under the Medicaid program to school districts for the costs of administrative activities (such as outreach and enrollment, program planning, and referrals) and certain types of transportation provided to students with disabilities.

Through NSBA’s lobbying efforts, language was included in the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007, to delay the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from implementing these cuts for six months, effectively guaranteeing that the finalized rule will not be implemented until at least the 2008-2009 school year. President Bush signed the bill on December 29, 2007.

Efforts are currently underway to extend this moratorium for an even longer period of time.

Contact Us

If you are a school board member or state school boards association staff member, please contact Kathleen Branch, NSBA's Manager of Federal Advocacy Programs at kbranch@nsba.org.

If you are a Congressional staffer or a member of the media, please contact Chrisanne Gayl, NSBA's Director of Federal Programs at 703-838-6763 or by e-mail at cgayl@nsba.org.

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We want to hear from you!  Send an e-mail to Kathleen Branch, NSBA's Manager of Federal Advocacy Programs at kbranch@nsba.org.


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