Arkansas Community Correction (ACC) is requesting technical assistance through BJA to assist with revising the current Medicaid and private option policy regarding physician referrals for mental health services. Preliminary research has been done by ACC through analyzing other states’ Medicaid policies. Currently, individuals receiving Medicaid must obtain a referral from a Primary Care Physician (PCP) before accessing mental health or substance abuse services in the community. Because many of ACC’s supervised offenders receive Medicaid services, the PCP referral limits their access to the necessary services in the community. After researching multiple states, ACC found that this referral process is not required by federal statute and states have the authority to remove this requirement. Other states that were researched include Hawaii, Kentucky, Illinois, and Colorado. ACC is requesting assistance through BJA to conduct a document review and assist ACC and the Department of Human Services with revising the current Medicaid policy to remove the referral requirement.
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