Carson City — Lawmakers considered Assembly Bill 514, which would let Nevada Medicaid cover rehabilitative residential mental health treatment to the extent federal financial participation is available.

Sponsor David Niante presented AB514 as a bipartisan recommendation from the Joint Interim Committee on Health and Human Services aimed at filling a gap in Nevada’s continuum of mental health services. “We have had extensive discussions in the interim about how we wanted to improve the mental health delivery system in our state,” Niante said. He described the bill as enabling the Medicaid director to provide coverage and to establish a method for that coverage when federal matching funds permit.

Sarah Adler, representing NAMI Nevada’s policy committee, testified in support and said the bill would assist Nevadans living in unstable housing or needing supportive services. Testifiers noted the proposal aligns with earlier interim recommendations and complements prior efforts to expand supportive housing.

Committee members asked technical questions about Medicaid waivers and timing. Staff and members said Nevada has multiple pending Medicaid waiver submissions and that federal approval typically takes about 18 months to two years. The committee had no callers in opposition or neutral status at the hearing.

The committee later included AB514 on a consent “do pass” motion and approved it along with two other bills.