March 2020 ~

The New Hampshire (NH) Joint Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules (JLCAR) has approved changes to the state’s Medicaid to Schools program, which will allow eligible school districts to be reimbursed for providing health care, rehabilitation, and therapy services for children covered by Medicaid.

On February 21, the JLCAR voted unanimously to approve He-W 589, the new Medicaid to School rule put forward by the NH Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The purpose of the rule, according to NH DHHS, is to describe the services reimbursable under Medicaid.

He-W 589 was developed in conjunction with Senate Bill 684 which ensures that the department is allowed the continued authority to create rules that maximize federal reimbursement for schools participating in Medicaid to Schools, and according to the NH DHHS Press Release, provides a pathway for qualified professionals to get the licensing they need to be eligible for reimbursement by Medicaid for the services those professionals provide.

Under the Medicaid to Schools program, school districts are eligible for Medicaid reimbursement for health care services that schools provide to students enrolled in Medicaid. Services eligible for federal reimbursement include behavioral health services, personal care, and rehabilitation therapy services such as physical therapy.

“Today’s action is the result of leaders from across the State joining forces to ensure that New Hampshire’s Medicaid to Schools program remains robust, students get the services they need to receive the best education possible, and schools are on solid fiscal ground,” said Medicaid Director Henry Lipman. “This collaboration has set the State on a path to build one of the best Medicaid to Schools programs in the country.”

“I applaud legislators for approving this important measure to ensure that students are still able to receive the critical services they need,” NH Governor, Chris Sununu, said in a statement following the vote. “These rules will help New Hampshire get back on track and ensure critical services to our students. I am a strong supporter of the Medicaid to Schools program, and this effort is the result of bipartisan steps we have taken in coordination with state agencies and the legislature.”

The legislation is currently awaiting final agreement between the House and the Senate.

For more information, visit the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services’ Medicaid page.

 

Source(s): New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services; The New Hampshire Union Leader; Conway Daily Sun; Patch.com;