Alaska Department of Health State Medicaid Agency Application for CMS Grant Opportunity for Implementation of School-Based Services. - The State of Alaska Department of Health (DOH) is pursuing the Medicaid and CHIP School-Based Health Care Services grant opportunity from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to improve the health outcomes of Alaskan students and promote healthier futures. SBS services provide crucial access to care for students. Currently, schools face administrative and financial challenges in accessing Medicaid funding for these services. DOH plans to address these barriers by establishing system supports for Alaska schools offering Medicaid-eligible SBS. Most Alaskan school districts are not connected to the road system or are rural. In Alaska, all school districts are home to American Indian/Alaska Native tribal beneficiaries. Currently, only 6 of Alaska's 54 school districts bill for Medicaid SBS. The project will be informed by stakeholders and partners and will take into account Alaska’s unique geographic, regional, and cultural landscape, and specific challenges. These challenges include geographic isolation, lack of infrastructure, limited access to healthcare, workforce shortages, and difficulties in recruiting and retaining qualified teachers. The state’s goals for this project include: • Evaluating and implementing system upgrades, billing process improvements, and technical assistance enhancements. • Supporting Local Education Agencies (LEAs) in maximizing federal matching funds when they provide Medicaid SBS services to support expansion of school staffing and resources necessary to increase utilization. • Enhancing and improving the Alaska Medicaid SBS program and leveraging those enhancement to increase participation of schools and LEAs seeking Medicaid reimbursement for SBS. Over the three-year project period, the $2.5 million in grant funds will be strategically allocated to address key challenges and enhance the infrastructure supporting Medicaid-eligible SBS in Alaska. The funds will support various initiatives, including conducting assessments informed by stakeholder engagement to evaluate and improve service delivery, implementing system upgrades and integration opportunities, streamlining billing processes, and exploring changes to billing structures. Additionally, the funds will be used to develop and provide enhanced technical assistance to schools, support districts in maximizing federal matching funds for Medicaid SBS services and enhance the overall Alaska Medicaid SBS program. The budget includes provisions for travel, contractual costs, and direct monetary support to LEAs to achieve these goals, ensuring that the grant funds are utilized efficiently and effectively to improve health outcomes for Alaskan students.
