Hawaii Department of Education seeks parents’ help for Medicaid reimbursements

Jan. 12--The state is asking parents of nearly 10,000 special-needs students for help in seeking possible reimbursements from Medicaid.

If a child is Medicaid-eligible and other requirements are met, Medicaid could provide partial reimbursement to the Department of Education for medically and educationally necessary health-related services called for during school hours as part of the student's individualized education plan.

"Approximately 9,500 special needs students statewide may be eligible for Medicaid reimbursements and we ask for their parents' and guardians' assistance to help claim these funds for Hawaii's schools," said Assistant Superintendent Heidi Armstrong, Office of Student Support Services at the Department of Education, said in a news release. "These reimbursements will benefit students at all public schools statewide and help to offset expenses for such costs as student transportation, school utilities, substitute teachers and many other daily needs."

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported in August that the state misses out on potentially tens of millions of dollars in federal reimbursements because it fails to aggressively pursue claims related to teaching Medicaid-insured special ed students.

While each state on average received $48 million in reimbursements in fiscal year 2016, Hawaii got only about $260,000, according to the newspaper's analysis of federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data.

As part of the reimbursement request process, the state must obtain parental consent to share confidential information about the child's education plan with Med-Quest, the state's Medicaid program. The information remains confidential and will not affect any serv­ices students receive through their plan or their parents' insurance, according to DOE.

The department is distributing information and consent forms to parents of eligible students and is requesting that signed forms -- or unsigned if the parent doesn't provide consent -- be returned by Jan. 30.

For more information, parents and guardians may contact Medicaid Program Specialist Mikeal Stansbury at 305-9787 or visit bit.ly/HIDOE-Special-Education.

Medicaid, the government-funded health insurance program for the poor, is funded by state and federal dollars.

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