Utah Medicaid has been highly engaged in justice-involved work and recently received CMS approval for the justice-involved 1115 waiver amendment (Medicaid Reform 1115 Demonstration) on July 2, 2024. Implementation of this waiver will accomplish the requirements of section 5121 of Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (CAA, 2023) (P.L. 117-328) and section 205 of division G of the CAA, 2024 (P.L. 118-42). This program will provide essential pre-release Medicaid coverage and services, which will include transitional policies and processes to allow for continuity of care post-release for approximately 8,000 Utahns in collaboration with correctional facilities and numerous other stakeholders across the State.
If awarded the Section 206 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024: State Planning Grants to Promote Continuity of Care for Medicaid and CHIP Beneficiaries Following Incarceration, Utah Medicaid intends on distributing the grant funds to non-federal correctional facilities (subrecipients), eligible facilities include the State’s 26 county jails, 13 youth correctional facilities, and 2 state prisons. Utah Medicaid will create a request for proposal (RFP) for the purpose of awarding these funds and they will be distributed to subrecipients in a manner that supports the State’s milestones and measurable objectives. This plan focuses on achieving the following five milestones:
Increasing coverage and ensuring continuity of coverage for individuals who are incarcerated;
Covering and ensuring access to the minimum set of pre-release services for individuals who are incarcerated to improve care transitions upon return to the community;
Promoting continuity of care;
Connecting members to post-release services; and
Ensuring cross-system collaboration.
By making these milestones a requirement of the RFP process, Utah Medicaid ensures that the planning grant funds ultimately improve the quality and access of healthcare for Medicaid members. Correctional facilities may submit proposals requesting funding to support the following eligible activities: technology and IT services, hiring of staff and training, adoption of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology, purchase or enhancement of billing systems, development of operational protocols and procedures, activities to promote collaboration across systems and stakeholders, and staff costs related to planning. Utah Medicaid will evaluate applications for planning grant funding based on the correctional facility’s preparedness and capacity to participate in the justice-involved program. Preference will be given to facilities that have clear operational frameworks, milestones and goals. If selected, subrecipients will be eligible for awards up to $500,000 at the discretion of Utah Medicaid. The total amount that Utah Medicaid plans on distributing is the maximum amount awarded by CMS, up to $5,000,000.
