Nebraska would seek Medicaid coverage for housing support services

The Department of Health and Human Services would seek federal approval for Medicaid to pay for supportive housing services, then provide covered services if approval is granted. Services would be for eligible Medicaid beneficiaries who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. They could include help finding housing, keeping a home, and coordinating care. Coverage would depend on federal approval. The department would set eligibility rules, provider qualifications, payment methods, and service standards consistent with federal requirements. The department would provide coverage after federal approval.

The state would create a fund for the state share of approved Medicaid services and for certain housing costs Medicaid will not cover. The fund would support services and housing related to the Housing First Supportive Services Act. The fund could receive money appropriated by the Legislature, federal Medicaid matching funds, and gifts or grants. Housing costs could include short-term rent help, operating support, and construction investment; the bill does not itself appropriate a specific amount.

The department would coordinate housing resources with state and local partners and jointly prepare a plan each year with the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority. The plan would identify priority groups, geographic needs, and ways to connect housing and health services. The plan would be annual; the bill states no start date.

The department would send yearly reports to legislative committees and hire an independent evaluator to review the program. Reports would cover people served, moves into and continued stays in supportive housing, health outcomes, and estimated savings to state programs. Annual reports would start January 1, 2027. The independent evaluation would be due within five years after implementation.