Medicaid Infrastructure Grant

The summary for the Medicaid Infrastructure Grant grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Medicaid Infrastructure Grant: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is soliciting proposals from states to develop the infrastructure to support competitive employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Section 203 of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 directs the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to establish the Medicaid Infrastructure Grant program. Funding for this program is intended to facilitate enhancements to state Medicaid programs and services, to promote linkages between Medicaid and other employment-related service agencies, and to develop a comprehensive system of employment supports for people with disabilities. CMS is the designated DHHS agency with administrative responsibility for this grant program. Either of the following may apply: (a) the single state Medicaid agency; or (b) any other agency or instrumentality of a state (as determined under state law) in partnership, agreement and active participation with the single state Medicaid agency, the state Legislature, or the Office of the Governor. For purposes of this grant program, "state" is defined as each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Congress authorized the Medicaid Infrastructure Grant program for 11 years beginning in fiscal year 2001. It appropriated $150 million in funding over the first 5 years of the program. Beginning in 2006 the funding amount is taken from the previous year and increased using the consumer price index. The 2007 funding amount is $41.779 million. The grant period will run 12 months from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007, with subsequent annual continuation requests. The minimum award to an applicant will be $500,000 per year. No state or local matching funds are required. The statute requires participating states to offer personal assistance services through the state's Medicaid program sufficient to support individuals in employment. While CMS anticipates that the proposals submitted by applicants will vary, we expect that grantees participating in this program will use funding to first remove employment barriers for people with disabilities by creating systemic change throughout the Medicaid program, and later to remove employment barriers within state and local systems generally. States may develop employment systems through a progression of activities beginning with the development of core Medicaid components. The components include personal assistance services and a Medicaid buy-in program that enable people with disabilities to participate in their communities through meaningful employment opportunities. States may then use program funds to enhance these supports by building other infrastructure needed to develop a comprehensive employment system.