CISWH Project Resources

Panelists from the 10 CMC CoIIN state teams reflect on their learnings from their quality improvement projects in an interactive panel conversation. 

National Care Coordination Academy teams presented their project’s goals, accomplishments, challenges, and next steps in this final meeting.

Reflections on barriers observed for families of color, with cultural and language differences, and ways to mitigate the disparities in care observed based on the interventions tried.

The recent Child Tax Credit (CTC) expansion is expected to improve the economic security of millions of families in the U.S., including families raising children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN). While many families will receive the expanded tax credit automatically, others of the most vulnerable families need to take action to access the financial support.

On August 24 at 2pm ET, the Catalyst Center hosted a webinar explaining the expanded CTC and the role that Title V and Family Leader organizations might play in assisting families in accessing this support.

The webinar program featured presentations by Elaine Maag, Principal Research Associate, Tax Policy Center, Urban Institute and Brookings Institution; Stacy Collins, Associate Director, Health Systems Transformation at AMCHP; and Isabel Dickson, Economic Mobility Specialist of the Maternal and Child Health Program at the Colorado Department of Health and Environment. 

Below, you can access a recording of the webinar, presentation slides, and a page of resources related to the expanded CTC. 

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was signed into law on March 11, 2021. Provisions in this legislation have the potential to expand and strengthen Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS) for children enrolled in Medicaid, in turn strengthening the systems of services for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN).

The ARPA gives states the option of receiving extra financial support for providing HCBS to Medicaid beneficiaries. Specifically, the law provides for a 10-percentage point increase in the state’s Federal Medical Assistance Percentage, or FMAP. States must use the additional funds they receive under the ARP FMAP increase to expand and enhance HCBS for Medicaid beneficiaries.

This Catalyst Center explainer provides an overview of the ARPA HCBS provision and its potential implications for CYSHCN.

AMCHP newsletter ‘Pulse’ interview 2021 of Oregon CoIIN Implementation team members.

Forty-seven states use some form of managed care to serve children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) enrolled in Medicaid. State Title V programs, which are required to use 30 percent of their funds for programs for CYSHCN and their families, may also serve these same children. By working collaboratively, Medicaid agencies, Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs), and state Title V programs can expand their individual capacities to strengthen the system of services for CYSHCN.

This mini-brief, written in partnership with the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), describes how such partnerships can contribute to reductions in duplication of services, en­hanced care coordination efforts, and the development of cross-agency programmatic supports to meet the physical, social, emotional, behavioral, and socioeconomic needs of Medicaid-enrolled CYSHCN and their families. 

State Title V and Medicaid programs provide services for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) to support their physical, behavioral, and developmental care. States are also advancing health equity goals to address disparate outcomes experienced by people of color. With evidence of existing inequities laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic, states are finding opportunities to unite these efforts to improve care for CYSHCN of color.

This mini-brief, developed by the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) in partnership with the Catalyst Center, describes key areas where states are strengthening health equity for CYSHCN, including initiatives in family partnership, Medicaid managed care (MMC) programs, quality measurement and performance reporting, and cross-sector partnerships.

State Medicaid programs are required to provide Medicaid enrollees under age 21 with comprehensive and preventive health care services through the Early Screening and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit. Federal law requires states to cover “medically necessary services” under the EPSDT benefit “whether or not such services are covered under the State plan.”  The federal statute does not define “medical necessity” but instead describes a broad standard for coverage. States can, therefore, establish their own parameters for medical necessity decisions so long as those parameters are not more restrictive than the federal statute. In March 2021, with support from the Catalyst Center, The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) conducted a 50-state scan of medical necessity definitions used by state Medicaid programs for their EPSDT benefit, updating a previous scan conducted in 2013. This resource presents definitions of medical necessity from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Employment and economic self-sufficiency play a key role in health. With the effectiveness of early antiretroviral treatment (ART), many people with HIV can (and do) participate in the country’s workforce. When community-based organizations, HIV/AIDS service organizations, and health care centers provide employment services to their clients, a thoughtful approach is required to address the potential barriers to employment on the individual, organizational, and structural levels. POWER (Pursuing Opportunities with Employment & Resources) is an innovative intervention developed in New Haven, CT, based on the job club model. It seeks to bridge the gap between barriers and employment through peer support and community partnerships to prepare participants for success. Learn how Liberty Community Services, Inc. successfully integrated employment into their existing services through the POWER intervention.