The Maryland Department of Health (Department) requires a contractor to provide technical assistance in the drafting and development of SOW to inform a future solicitation of an Administrative Claiming Vendor. The Department is in the process of expanding coverage of behavioral health services provided in schools for students enrolled in Medicaid. Currently, Medicaid only pays for services associated with a student’s IEP/IFSP. Additionally, at this time, behavioral health services in schools must be rendered by licensed mental health practitioners. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently updated its guidance to allow Medicaid billing for school-based services (SBS) outside of the IEP/IFSP structure. Ensuring school-aged children have access to comprehensive health services during a formative time of their lives is a principal goal of the Maryland Medicaid program. School-aged children (those under the age of 19) make up over 40 percent, or 700,000, of Maryland Medicaid’s total enrollment. Ultimately, this expansion will help bolster access to behavioral health care and meet children where they are. Schools provide a protective factor, where 77 percent of high school students and 81 percent of middle school students felt comfortable seeking help from school staff (Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), 2022). In Maryland and across the country, 1 State Medicaid Agencies and State Education Agencies have an opportunity to build on this trusted relationship and alter the trajectory of behavioral health outcomes for children.
