Medicaid

Medicaid has reimbursed schools in public school districts for special education related services for many years. Charter schools have been eligible to access Medicaid funding since they emerged in 1991, although many charter schools are just learning that Medicaid is a potential revenue source. In order to access Medicaid reimbursement, the following MUST be in place:

The child must be determined eligible for special education services, and have an IEP;
The child must be eligible for and enrolled in Medicaid;
The child must have medically necessary related services on his/her IEP, such as speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy and/or counseling;
The school must be a recognized provider of Medicaid services; and
The school must participate in the Random Moment Time Study.

The amount of reimbursement a school receives varies greatly. In past years, charter schools have recovered approximately $500-$1000 per Medicaid-eligible special education student for the school year. This assumes that the student receives one related service (weekly speech or OT, for example). Charter schools may recover more reimbursement for students who receive more than one related service during the year on his/her IEP and for those who require evaluations. The Co-operative can help member charter schools who are interested in becoming Medicaid providers. If your school is already a provider and you are interested in setting up billing, the Co-operative can help. We currently offer billing services for member schools for a per student fee. Co-operative Members, click here for Medicaid related links and forms.