National Council Obtains Advance Copy of CMS Rehab Option Regs

Last night, the National Council received advance notice that CMS will issue proposed regulations regarding the Medicaid Rehabilitation Option on Monday, August 13. To view an advance copy of the proposed regulations, go to:

www.nccbh.org/TemporaryFiles/RehabReg.pdf

Based on our initial review of the proposed regulations, the National Council believes our advocacy has minimized some of the damage that could have been done to the Rehabilitation Option. However, we still have some serious concerns about the proposed regulations, and questions regarding how certain sections could be interpreted.

We will be sending out a more thorough analysis of the proposed regulations on Monday. Because these are “proposed” regulations, we have 60 days from publication on August 13 to submit comments to CMS. We will be working to develop comments and to help you do the same. Our ultimate goal is to protect the ability of our members to provide rehabilitation services to people with serious mental illness—services our members are uniquely positioned to provide.

Please contact Chuck Ingoglia, Vice President, Public Policy, with any questions on the rehab regulations at 301.984.6200, ext. 249 or chucki@nccbh.org.