CHAPTER 198
An Act to require the Department of Medical Assistance Services to convene a work group to identify and develop processes for streamlining the application and enrollment process for Medicaid and FAMIS for incarcerated individuals.
Approved February 23, 2017
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. § 1. That the Department of Medical Assistance Services shall convene a work group to identify and develop processes for streamlining the application and enrollment process for the Commonwealth's program of medical assistance services provided pursuant to the state plan for medical assistance, also known as Medicaid, and services provided through the Family Access to Medical Insurance Security (FAMIS) Plan for eligible incarcerated individuals so that applicable services shall be available to such individuals immediately upon release from the correctional facility. Such work group shall include representatives of the Departments of Social Services, Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, Corrections, and Juvenile Justice; the Virginia Sheriffs' Association; the Virginia Association of Regional Jails; the Virginia Juvenile Detention Association; the Virginia Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness; the Virginia Association of Community Services Boards; the Virginia League of Social Services Executives; and other relevant stakeholders. The work group shall identify and take such steps as may be feasible to implement an efficient and cost-effective process for (i) determining eligibility for Medicaid and FAMIS at the time of incarceration or detention and (ii) processing applications for eligible individuals incarcerated in state, local, or regional correctional facilities in order to ensure a seamless provision of appropriate Medicaid and FAMIS services upon release and reentry into society. The work group shall consider (a) how the Department of Medical Assistance Services' Central Processing Unit may be leveraged to benefit this process and (b) how the process may also be utilized to ensure appropriate coverage for inpatient hospitalization of inmates eligible for Medicaid services. The Department of Medical Assistance Services shall report its findings and recommendations, including information on any process improvements that have been implemented, any cost savings that have been identified, and any additional funding that may be necessary to fully implement the work group's recommendations, to the Chairmen of the House Health, Welfare and Institutions Committee, Senate Education and Health Committee, House Appropriations Committee, and Senate Finance Committee by November 30, 2017.