Agency Action: Amendments to the Title XIX Medicaid State Plan

The Department of Health (DOH) hereby gives notices its intent to seek approval from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) of a state plan amendment with a July 1, 2026 effective date.

Subject of Amendment(s):

The department intends to submit a SPA to change the Section 3.1 – Attachment K and Section 4.39 – Attachment A – Categorial Determination for the Preadmission Screening and Annual Resident Review in Nursing Facilities (PASARR).

Section 3.1 – Attachment K will be updated to remove reference to the Consumer Assessment Tool (CAT) and the Inventory for Client and Agency Planning  (ICAP)assessment tools and will broaden the language to allow for the department to transition to new assessment tools.

Section 4.39 – Attachment A will be updated to reflect current categorical determinations, remove outdated, offensive language, and improve readability of how determinations are made in regards to the PASARR.

Financial impact:

There is no anticipated increased financial impact for this SPA.

EPSDT and ARRA/Tribal Consultation:

The proposed amendments will not affect how Alaska Medicaid provides or reimburses EPSDT services. The department followed the tribal consultation process established under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 and set forth in its approved state plan.

Public Comments:

The department is holding a public comment period relative to these amendments until 5 PM on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. Individuals may submit written comments via email to eva.venema@alaska.gov. Please submit electronic comments as an attached word document or text within the email body with the phrase “SDS SPA” in the subject line. All submissions must include the sender’s full name and email address.

If you are a person with a disability who requires a special accommodation to participate in this process, please contact Eva Venema at eva.venema@alaska.gov (907) 418-4177 not later than Tuesday, May 5, 2026, to ensure the provision of any necessary accommodations.

Individuals unable to submit comments by email should submit written comments by the close of the comment period to:

DOH Commissioner’s Office

c/o Eva Venema

3601 C Street, Suite 902

Anchorage, AK 99503