Implementing the Medicaid Reentry Waiver in California Counties: Key Policy and Operational Insights
This webinar is available on-demand. If you have trouble accessing the recording, please email nacomeetings@naco.org.
Counties have access to new resources to improve community safety and reduce overdose deaths as a result of recent changes to federal Medicaid policy. Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have applied for the Medicaid Reentry Demonstration waiver so far and eleven state proposals have been approved as of August 2024.
How will these changes affect your county? Join us to learn what is happening across the country as states and counties begin implementing these substantial systems changes. Key learnings from the MacArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge work with 11 counties in California – the first approved waiver state -- will be shared along with implications for counties across the country.
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States file lawsuit challenging FEMA’s new rules on emergency management grants
On November 4, a coalition of 12 states filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), alleging that recent changes to key emergency management grants are unlawful and could disrupt state and local preparedness efforts.
CMS announces new funding opportunity for the Innovation in Behavioral Health Model
On October 16, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Cohort II of the Innovation in Behavioral Health (IBH) Model. This new round of funding builds on the initial IBH model announced in 2024 and continues CMS’s efforts to improve outcomes for individuals with moderate to severe mental health conditions and substance use disorders (SUDs) by advancing integration between behavioral and physical healthcare.
County Leaders Advocate for FEMA Act in Visit to Washington, D.C.
Nearly two dozen county leaders from 15 states are in attendance this week at a National Association of Counties (NACo) fly-in focused on disaster reform.
Senate passes Second Chance Act reauthorization
On May 22, the Second Chance Reauthorization Act of 2025 (H.R. 3552/S.1843) was introduced in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives with robust bipartisan support. NACo supports this legislation, which would reauthorize funding for Second Chance Act (P.L. 110-199) programs through 2030.
FEMA delays $11 billion in state disaster reimbursements
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently withheld roughly $11 billion in planned disaster reimbursements to 45 states, shifting the payments to fiscal year 2026 and marking a major change in how the federal government is managing disaster relief funding.
Nuanced EMS response addresses paramedic shortage
Facing a shortage of paramedics, Pasquotank County, N.C. created a response program that better assigns its personnel to where their skills are most needed.