Department of Health & Human Services
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
7500 Security Boulevard, Mail Stop S2-26-12
Baltimore, Maryland 21244-1850
July 14, 2022
Juliet Charron
Medicaid Division Administrator
Idaho Department of Health and Welfare
Division of Medicaid
P.O. Box 83720
Boise, Idaho 83720-0009
Re: Section 1135 Flexibilities Requested in July 8, 2022 Communication (Third Request)
Dear Administrator Charron:
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) granted an initial approval to the State of Idaho for multiple section 1135 flexibilities on March 23, 2020. Your follow-up communication to CMS on July 8, 2022, detailed an additional federal requirement that also poses issues or challenges for the health care delivery system in Idaho and requested a waiver or modification of those additional requirements. Attached, please find a response to your requests for waivers or modifications, pursuant to section 1135 of the Social Security Act (Act), to address the challenges posed by COVID-19. This approval addresses those requests related to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), as applicable. To the extent the requirements the state requested to waive or modify apply to CHIP, the state may apply the approved flexibilities to CHIP. This applies to the waiver included below, as well as the 1135 waivers granted to the state on March 23, 2020, and March 26, 2020.
On March 13, 2020, the President of the United States issued a proclamation that the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States constitutes a national emergency by the authorities vested in him by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including sections 201 and 301 of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), and consistent with section 1135 of the Act. On March 13, 2020, pursuant to section 1135(b) of the Act, the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services invoked his authority to waive or modify certain requirements of titles XVIII, XIX, and XXI of the Act as a result of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, to the extent necessary, as determined by CMS, to ensure that sufficient health care items and services are available to meet the needs of individuals enrolled in the respective programs and to ensure that health care providers that furnish such items and services in good faith, but are unable to comply with one or more of such requirements as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, may be reimbursed for such items and services and exempted from sanctions for such noncompliance, absent any determination of fraud or abuse. This authority took effect as of 6PM Eastern Standard Time on March 15, 2020, with a retroactive effective date of March 1, 2020. The emergency period will terminate, and section 1135 waivers will no longer be available, upon termination of the public health emergency, including any extensions.
To streamline the section 1135 waiver request and approval process, CMS has issued a number of blanket waivers for many Medicare provisions, which primarily affect requirements for individual facilities, such as hospitals, long term care facilities, home health agencies, and so on. Waiver or modification of these provisions does not require individualized approval, and, therefore, these authorities are not addressed in this letter. Please refer to the current blanket waiver issued by CMS.
This letter is in response to all requests submitted to CMS. If the state/territory determines that it has additional needs, please contact your state lead and CMS will provide the necessary technical assistance for any additional submissions.
Please contact Jackie Glaze, Deputy Director, Medicaid and CHIP Operations Group, at (404) 387-0121 or by email at Jackie.Glaze@cms.hhs.gov if you have any questions or need additional information. We appreciate the efforts of you and your staff in responding to the needs of the residents of the State of Idaho and the health care community.
Sincerely,
Daniel Tsai
Deputy Administrator and Director
Cc: Charles Beal, IDHW
David Bell, IDHW
STATE OF IDAHO
APPROVAL OF FEDERAL SECTION 1135 WAIVER REQUESTS
CMS Response: July 14, 2022
To the extent applicable, the following waiver and modifications also apply to CHIP.
Use of Legally Responsible Individuals to Render Personal Care Services
Pursuant to section 1135(b)(1)(B) of the Act, CMS approves a waiver to temporarily allow payment for 1905(a) personal care services rendered by legally responsible individuals (which could be inclusive of legally responsible family caregivers) providing that the state makes a reasonable assessment that the caregiver is capable of rendering such services. This waiver will ensure that medically necessary services are furnished in the event the traditional provider workforce is diminished or there is inadequate capacity due to the public health emergency.