Recovery.Arkansas.gov

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Human Services / Medicaid

Human Services | Program details

Various sections of the Act impact the Department of Human Services (DHS) divisions. The Food Stamp Program (SNAP) provides a 13.6% increase in the June 2008 maximum household benefits rate. Jobless adults who comply with work registration and employment training shall not be disqualified from participation. The Child Care Development Block Grant funds must be used to "supplement, not supplant" state general revenue in providing child care assistance to low income families. The Community Services Block Grants provide funds to alleviate the causes and conditions of poverty in communities. Head Start promotes school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of children through education, health, nutrition, and parental involvement services. Foster Care/Adoption Assistance provides support for child protection and adoption assistance. Commodity Assistance distributes USDA donated foods to food banks statewide. Emergency Food & Shelter and Homelessness Prevention Grants provide for shelters, homeless rental assistance & utility payments. The Elderly Nutrition Program provides additional amounts for aging services.

A competitive grant is also available for AmeriCorps through the DHS Division of Volunteerism.

Medicaid | Program details

The federal government uses state per capita income to calculate each state's reimbursement rate for Medicaid. This matching rate is known as the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP). The FMAP is the share of state Medicaid benefit costs paid for by the federal government. It is recalculated each year based on a three-year average of state per capita personal income compared to the national average. A state with average per capita personal income receives an FMAP of 55%; no state may receive less than 50%. The FMAP for Arkansas is currently around 73%. Factoring in the minimum 6.2% base increase in the Stimulus Act, this would give Arkansas an FMAP of 79%. This amount may be increased based on the state's unemployment rate.

The Stimulus Act also provides a temporary 2.5% increase in the Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) allotment. For Arkansas, this amount will be $1.1 million.

Also included are competitive Health Information Technology grants to expand the use of electronic health records. These funds will require an estimated 10% match that will increase each year.

Health | Program details

Under the Stimulus bills, the Department of Health will be eligible for competitive grants for the following programs:

• Women, Infants & Children (WIC) Administrative Costs
• Section 317 Immunization Grants
• Healthy Communities
• HIV/STD Testing
• Environmental Health
• Chronic Disease/Genomics
• Research and Prevention

Overview | Cities & Counties | Education & Higher Ed | Energy & Weatherization | Fiscal Stabilization | Housing & Labor
Human Services / Medicaid | Nationally Competitive Programs | Safety & Community | Transportation | Water & Environment