CMS NEWS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 18, 2019

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CMS Approves Arizona’s Medicaid Community Engagement Demonstration AmendmentArizona’s Demonstration Amendment Reflects Commitment to Tribal Consultation

Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved Arizona’s request for an amendment to add a community engagement requirement to its section 1115 Medicaid demonstration project, entitled “Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS).” Following a thorough tribal consultation at the state and federal level, the Arizona demonstration will be the first to include an exemption to this requirement for members of federally recognized tribes.

“Medicaid demonstrations like this one empower states to provide health coverage to their citizens while allowing the states the flexibility to tailor their approach to their unique populations,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “We have long stressed the importance of meaningful tribal consultation when states are contemplating program reforms, and I’m pleased with how this important process informed Arizona’s approach to amending its demonstration.”

CMS is committed to the government-to-government relationship with federally recognized tribes and based on input received through a tribal consultation, the agency worked with the state and tribal leadership to address tribal concerns with Arizona’s proposed amendment. CMS will continue to provide states with the flexibility to design their programs to address their local community and program needs.

Arizona is now the eighth state with approval to operate a community engagement program to incentivize certain adults to participate in activities like job training, community service, and employment. Implementation of Arizona’s requirement, “AHCCCS Works,” may begin no sooner than January 1, 2020. The amendment requires that certain individuals, ages 19 through 49, engage in qualifying community engagement activities for at least 80 hours per month, and report monthly that they are meeting the community engagement requirements. There will be various other exemptions from the requirement, including but not limited to: pregnant women; beneficiaries who are medically frail; and beneficiaries who are in active treatment with respect to a substance use disorder.

To view CMS’s approval of the AHCCCS 1115 Demonstration amendment please visit: https://www.medicaid.gov/Medicaid-CHIP-Program-Information/By-Topics/Waivers/1115/downloads/az/az-hccc-ca.pdf