State officials outline school‑based services grant work; federal review and stakeholder outreach remain priorities

KDHE and Medicaid officials briefed the council on a three‑year school‑based services grant intended to strengthen school billing systems, redesign the Medicaid state plan for broader coverage, and increase district capacity to claim eligible services.

Heather Gould, project director for the school‑based services grant, said the grant began in July 2024 and aims to “make some necessary updates to the Medicaid state plan and administrative claiming guides” and to “enable broader service coverage.” Heather said stakeholder outreach will begin shortly and she plans to solicit feedback from districts and partner organizations.

Why it matters: changes to the Medicaid state plan or CHIP coverage could allow districts to bill Medicaid for a wider array of services and create a sustainable revenue stream to support school‑based therapies and related services.

Key points from presenters

- Grant scope and timeline: Heather described the grant as a three‑year effort that will provide tools and training to districts for billing, payment procedures and sustainability planning. She said she is building a stakeholder list and will contact partners for feedback.

- Federal constraints: Deputy Medicaid Director Bobby Graff Hendrickson explained procedural limits on sharing grant documents and redactions required by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). He said some materials cannot be publicly posted because they include personally identifiable information or CMS security constraints.

- Administration change and timing risks: Bobby noted the incoming federal administration’s appointment process may pause approvals of state plan amendments and cautioned that amending the Medicaid state plan is a multi‑step process: “The Medicaid state plan is considered a contract between the state and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.” He said the state and Heather are continuing stakeholder outreach and will pursue the amendment process but that states nationwide are facing similar timing uncertainties.

State next steps

Heather said she will present more detailed materials at upcoming conferences and is scheduling in‑state outreach. Bobby offered to meet with districts or stakeholders on request and said KDHE is committed to assisting districts through state plan amendment and potential CHIP expansion steps.

Sources: presentations by Heather Gould (school‑based grant project director) and Bobby Graff Hendrickson (Deputy Medicaid Director), recorded in the meeting transcript.