Board members press for contract language after questions about Medicaid billing for outside ESE providers

Board members and district staff discussed whether outside providers for exceptional student education (ESE) services should bill Medicaid directly or be paid by the district and then have Medicaid reimbursements deducted from that payment. The discussion focused on preventing duplicate payments and clarifying who files Medicaid claims for services delivered under district contracts. “That's double dipping, ain't it?” one speaker asked, referring to a situation in which a contractor would receive payment from the district and then bill Medicaid separately. The meeting included several practical questions about contract language and process. One participant said contracts should include a clause requiring external providers to provide the district receipts showing Medicaid payments made on claims filed on the district’s behalf, so the district could deduct those amounts when paying the contractor. Another speaker said that in some existing contracts—such as for certain providers who “provide their own billing” and serve a population the district supplies—the provider handled its own billing and the district did not pay for the same billing. The board sought clarity on which contractors would bill Medicaid and which would be paid out of general fund dollars. Legal and program context came up in the discussion. One participant noted that if services are ESE services the district is required to provide as part of a free and appropriate public education, the district remains obligated to ensure the service is provided regardless of whether Medicaid reimbursement is available or pursued. Participants discussed the possibility that parents of Medicaid-eligible students could submit claims directly, and they expressed a need to know, for each contract, who would be the claimant and how reimbursements would be handled. The board took one related procedural action: a member moved to table the agenda item tied to the Medicaid contractor so staff could provide clarified contract language; the motion passed. The superintendent was asked to return with the clarified contract language at a future meeting. Board members repeatedly pushed for clearer documentation requirements in contracts and for staff to specify the sequence of events (who bills, when receipts must be supplied, and how reimbursements will be applied to district payments). They also asked staff to verify whether particular provider contracts (for example, for psychological services) include a Medicaid-billing element or whether the district will be the claimant. The discussion closed with board members directing staff to supply revised contract language and to return the item to a future agenda so the board could review the clarified billing processes and any required contract clauses.