Sponsors (2)
The bill preserves Medicaid eligibility and waiting-list continuity for relocating service members, retirees, families, and HCBS applicants—improving access and fairness—but shifts implementation costs and administrative burdens to states and may not prevent service delays where local HCBS capacity is limited, with only modest federal funding to help.
Active-duty service members, recent military retirees, and their dependents who relocate are treated as residents of the new state for Medicaid eligibility, preserving continuous access to Medicaid coverage.
Medicaid beneficiaries on home- and community-based services (HCBS) waiting lists who relocate keep their place on the relocation State's waiting list and retain appeal rights until assessed and a final determination, protecting continuity of long-term services access.
HHS is authorized and provided $1 million per year (FY2026–2030) to develop guidance and support implementation, which can help states and beneficiaries navigate the new rules.
States and state taxpayers will incur administrative and program costs to implement residency, waiting-list, and payment rules and may need statutory changes, creating fiscal pressure and shifting state resources.
If the relocation State lacks sufficient HCBS capacity, beneficiaries may still face delays or reduced access to services despite preserving waiting-list status.
The $1 million per year appropriation is modest and may be insufficient to fully support nationwide implementation or cover state administrative burdens, limiting the effectiveness of federal support.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires States to treat relocated active-duty service members, recent retirees (≤12 months), and their dependents as State residents for Medicaid eligibility, preserves HCBS waiting list status, and funds HHS $1M/year.
Introduced May 14, 2025 by Jennifer Kiggans · Last progress May 14, 2025
Requires State Medicaid programs to treat active-duty service members, recent military retirees (within 12 months), and their dependents who move to a State because of military service as State residents for Medicaid eligibility unless they opt out. It also preserves the place of people who were receiving or awaiting home-and-community-based services (HCBS) on a State’s HCBS waiting list while the State completes assessment and eligibility steps (including fair hearing rights), and directs HHS to issue guidance on payment for available medical assistance. Provides $1,000,000 per year for FY2026–2030 to the Department of Health and Human Services to implement the changes, makes most provisions effective on enactment, sets a residency rule start date of January 1, 2028, and gives States that need new state law extra time to come into compliance after enactment.