AHCCCS recently received approval to broaden the array of health care services available to Medicaid-enrolled students in Arizona. Last month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved an AHCCCS State Plan Amendment extending Medicaid School Based Claiming (MSBC) services to a larger population of Medicaid-enrolled students.
While MSBC has long been available to students who have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), this approval allows AHCCCS to cover additional school-based services from specialty providers for even more Medicaid-enrolled students, now including those with Individualized Family Service Plans and other medically necessary plans of care.
AHCCCS will continue to work with Arizona’s Local Education Agencies to ensure that Medicaid-enrolled students have access to both physical and behavioral health services in their schools.
The Medicaid School Based Claiming program is just one of many ways students can access behavioral health services. Students who are not enrolled in Medicaid may be eligible for behavioral health services through funding made available when Jake’s Law passed in 2020. Contact a school administrator for more information. Any student experiencing a mental health crisis is encouraged to use Arizona’s crisis system for immediate help.
