LB 359 requires Nebraska's state agencies to appropriate funds for a five-percent increase in reimbursement rates for child welfare and juvenile justice service providers during fiscal year 2025-26. This directly affects providers contracted by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Supreme Court, including group homes, foster care agencies, family support services, and emergency shelters. The increase applies to all existing contracted services under these programs, such as out-of-home care, family preservation, and kinship navigation, and is intended to be in addition to any other funding increases provided by law.
This bill sets specific funding amounts to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for assisted-living facilities in Nebraska. It directs $7,926,576 (FY2025-26) and $8,243,639 (FY2026-27) to the Department of Health and Human Services to raise daily rates for these facilities under Nebraska's Medicaid waiver program. The funds will increase the daily rate to $88.24 for 2025-26 and $91.78 for 2026-27, applying equally to both rural and urban facilities participating in the program.
LB 380 updates Nebraska's Medicaid program integrity rules to improve fairness and transparency in audits. It requires program integrity contractors to provide clear written justification for audits, limit records requests to relevant documents, and send determination letters within 180 days. The bill also mandates that auditors use licensed healthcare professionals familiar with clinical standards and prohibits audits of capitated managed care claims or claims already under review. These changes directly affect Medicaid providers and contractors by standardizing audit procedures and protecting providers from improper overpayment claims.
LB 382 redirects $2 million annually from Nebraska's Medicaid Managed Care Excess Profit Fund to reimburse the state's eight Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) for eligible activities and services defined under existing law. The bill specifically appropriates these funds for fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27, with an equal share distributed to each AAA. This ensures AAAs receive reimbursement for costs related to services supporting older Nebraskans, such as transportation, meals, and home care, as outlined in section 81-2222. The bill amends existing funding mechanisms to prioritize these reimbursements while maintaining current eligibility criteria.
Nebraska's LB 61 requires the Department of Health and Human Services to submit a federal waiver amendment specifically adjusting reimbursement rates for memory care services under the state's Medicaid home and community-based services program. This change directly affects Medicaid beneficiaries receiving memory care (typically elderly or disabled individuals with dementia or similar conditions) and the providers offering those services. The bill mandates the department file this waiver amendment with federal authorities to secure updated funding rates for memory care, rather than creating new coverage. It does not establish new benefits or funding but modifies existing reimbursement structures for a specific service category. The requirement is procedural, focusing on adjusting payment rates through a federal waiver process.
LB 188 specifies Nebraska's legislative intent to appropriate $462.48 million for FY2025-26 and $476.72 million for FY2026-27 toward Medicaid nursing facility rates under Program No. 348. It requires the Department of Health and Human Services to use these funds in calculating nursing facility rates, including annual inflation adjustments, and to cover rate enhancements. The bill mandates two reports: one by August 1, 2025, detailing the inflation calculation method, and another by December 31, 2025, identifying unspent funds and related payments. This directly affects Medicaid nursing facilities receiving state funding for patient care rates.
