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Medicaid billing brings $45,073 in nursing reimbursements; board approves $1,000 stipend for South Central nurse
Summary
The South Central board recorded $45,073.49 in Medicaid reimbursements for nursing services after staff implemented Medicaid billing and approved a one-time $1,000 stipend for the nurse who led the effort; the district also reported switching vendors to Relay for Medicaid billing.
The South Central Community School Corporation reported new Medicaid reimbursement revenue from district nursing services and approved a one-time stipend to the nurse who launched the program.
Administrators told the board that nurse Kelly Saenzon led an effort to add eligible nursing services to Medicaid billing for students with parental permission and appropriate plans (IEP, 504 or health plans). "Because of Kelly's hard work, a portion of which occurred outside of her regular hours, we received $45,073 in additional Medicaid funding this past school year for nursing services," the superintendent said during the presentation.
The district said the Medicaid initiative expands reimbursements for a range of special-education-related services. Meeting remarks listed other Medicaid reimbursements the district received this year — $47,000 for speech-language-pathologist reimbursements and smaller amounts for occupational therapy and transportation — for a total of $101,004.86 billed across services.
Administrators also told the board the district will move its Medicaid billing to a different vendor in the cooperative, saying the company previously used (GoSolutions) had proposed a significant fee increase and that the cooperative has moved to Relay to control costs. The board approved a one-time $1,000 stipend to Saenzon in recognition of the extra work to get the program started and noted the district expects ongoing Medicaid revenue in future years.
Why it matters: Medicaid reimbursements for eligible school-based services can offset local expenditures for special education and related staff; the district described the collection as a new revenue stream that helps cover costs such as special-education transportation and nurse assistance.
Vote and next steps: The board approved the one-time stipend by voice vote. Administrators said they will continue processing Medicaid claims through the cooperative and monitor reimbursements for budgeting purposes.
Additional context: Administrators cautioned that not every student with an IEP qualifies for Medicaid billing — students must also be Medicaid recipients — and that implementing and maintaining billing requires ongoing administrative effort and parental permissions.
