SMDL: Implementation of Section 5052 of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act – State Plan Option under Section 1915(l) of the Social Security Act

Today the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a State Medicaid Director Letter (SMDL) to provide guidance on the implementation of section 5052 of the “Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act.” Section 5052 of the SUPPORT for Patient and Communities Act established a new section 1915(l) of the Social Security Act to include a state plan option to provide services to Medicaid beneficiaries age 21 through 64 who have at least one substance use disorder (SUD) diagnosis and reside in an eligible institution for mental diseases (IMD) primarily. The state option also allows Medicaid beneficiaries to receive substance use disorder (SUD) treatment or withdrawal management services from October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2023. This SMDL provides states with information on the new state plan option, including requirements related to beneficiary and provider eligibility, clinical screenings, continuum of care, care transitions, and maintenance of existing expenditures.

For more information, please contact Kirsten Jensen, Director, Division of Benefits and Coverage, Disabled and Elderly Health Programs Group, at Kirsten.Jensen@cms.hhs.gov.

• SMDL: Implementation of Section 5052 of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act – State Plan Option under Section 1915(l) of the Social Security Act