We are hiring!
Click here to view our open positions.

Innovations Waiver Up for Renewal – Public Comments Needed

Archive for the ‘Legislative/Policy Issues’ Category

Innovations Waiver Up for Renewal – Public Comments Needed

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has notified us that the Innovations waiver is up for renewal. In NC our Innovations (1915c) waiver is generally approved for five years.    The NC 1915(c) Home and Community-Based Services Innovations Waiver’s current 5-year cycle period will expire on June 30, 2024. NC Medicaid’s goal is…

Elections 2024: Voting Deadlines and Changes

There are three ways to vote in North Carolina: from home, in person and in a facility. North Carolina made changes to legislative districts, to voting laws for absentee voting, and a 2022 court decision made changes to laws regarding  voting a as a person with a disability. These changes are outlined below.   Voting in primaries…

Public Policy Update – LME MCO Consolidations and Appendix K Flexibilities

LME MCO Changes  North Carolina’s six Local Management Entities Managed Care Organizations (LME MCOs) which are responsible for the regional management of a unified system of intellectual and/or developmental disability, mental health, and substance use services are undergoing consolidation and the realignment of some counties before the implementation of the Tailored Plans in July of…

1915i Services – What Are They? Eligibility, and How to Apply

Medicaid in North Carolina is now offering new services to people with Medicaid who have an intellectual and/or developmental disability (I/DD), including autism, as well as those with mental health issues and substance use disorders. These 1915i services are starting to replace B3 services. Unlike B3, the 1915i services are an entitlement. This means that…

Medicaid – Will you be eligible for health care under the new expanded Medicaid program?

Starting December 1, 2023, North Carolina will expand health insurance coverage under Medicaid to people up to 138% of the federal poverty guidelines. This means more people will qualify including people who were not eligible previously.   NC Medicaid covers most health services. It includes doctor visits, check-ups, emergency care, hospital services, maternity and postpartum care,…

Legislative & Policy Update – NC Passes a State Budget

The NC Senate and House passed the budget conference committee report for H259, the Appropriations Act for 2023-2025 on September 22nd, ending several months of negotiations that delayed the state budget nearly three months into the fiscal year. The budget includes significant amounts of funding for behavioral health and developmental disabilities services and funding for…

Policy Update: State Budget Delays, Tailored Plan Delays, 1915(i) Services Authorized

Budget Process Halted; State Budget Delayed until at least August House and Senate Budget Conferees have been named to work out differences between the two versions of the state budget (H259, the Appropriations Act for 2023-2025); however, negotiations have been delayed. Legislative leaders have cited differences over both tax cuts/revenue changes and non-budget legislation, including…

Policy Update: NC Senate Passes Budget; Conference Committee Begins Work

On May 18, the NC Senate passed their version of H259, the Appropriations Act for 2023-2025.  The Senate version of the budget spends a little more, primarily on a new economic incentive fund designed to turn NC-based research into marketable products. The differences between the NC House version and the NC Senate version will be…

Public Policy Update: Medicaid Expansion Bill Signed, House Budget Released, Make Your Voice Heard to Senate

Expansion Bill Passes, Signed by Governor: House Bill 76 Access to Healthcare Options was passed by the NC General Assembly March 23 and signed into law March 27. The bill would extend Medicaid benefits to people in the health care coverage gap, whose income is under 133% of the federal poverty levels and do not…