NSBA's Letter to Congress: August 7, 2007
August 7, 2007
Member
United States Congress
Washington, DC 20515
Re: CMS Proposed Rule CMS-2287-P Prohibiting School-Based Medicaid Reimbursements
Dear Member:
On behalf of the National School Boards Association (NSBA), which represents the nation’s 95,000 local school board members, I would like to alert you to a serious matter regarding school districts’ ability to provide transportation and administrative services to Medicaid-eligible children with disabilities.
As I am sure you are aware, schools play a key role in identifying children for Medicaid and connecting them to needed services in schools and the community. It has recently come to our attention, however, that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services plans on publishing a rule that would stop school districts from receiving federal reimbursement for an estimated $3.6 billion over five years in Medicaid services provided to children with disabilities.
NSBA is very concerned that this action would reduce the availability of and access to needed health and developmental services for students with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and other low-income children with special needs, for whom school is their primary site for healthcare delivery. Schools rely on these reimbursements for a variety of purposes such as outfitting buses with specialized equipment, transporting children to school for their medical appointments, identifying students who need screenings and evaluations, and connecting children and their families with other needed services in their community.
The loss of these resources could mean that schools have to lay off nurses and social workers, curtail their referral services, and/or scale back enhancements for school buses. Furthermore, since many of these services are mandated under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) law, this action would substantially increase the burden on already financially-strapped local school districts. As a result, this rule is likely to impact students in regular education programs as well through cuts to electives, after school activities, arts and music programs, and/or reductions in teachers and support positions.
NSBA urges you to contact Secretary Leavitt and the Bush Administration to voice your opposition to the publication of this rule. Such action is necessary in order to protect schools’ ability to provide children with the health services that they deserve.
If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact Chrisanne Gayl, Director, Federal Programs at (703) 838-6763 or cgayl@nsba.org. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
Michael A. Resnick
Associate Executive Director