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_ 430 Item Details($) Appropriations($) ITEM 292. First Year Second Year First Year Second Year FY2025 FY2026 FY2025 FY2026 contracted for with such vendor. QQ. Effective upon enactment of this act, the Department of Medical Assistance Services, related to appeals administered by and for the department, shall have authority to amend regulations to require provider appeals to be filed only online through the department's appeal portal. Exceptions may be requested before a filing deadline by a provider for good cause for situations, such as lack of internet access in rural areas or other extenuating circumstances explained by the filing provider. The department shall have authority to promulgate regulations to implement these changes within 280 days or less from the enactment date of this act. RR. The Department of Medical Assistance Services shall make efforts to ensure that pregnant women that apply for Medicaid coverage utilize the Cover Virginia call center, to the maximum extent possible, in order to reduce the processing time of the application and expedite the applicant into coverage. The department shall collaborate with the Department of Social Services to ensure that local departments of social services have in place procedures and processes to connect pregnant women to the Cover Virginia call center to apply for coverage, unless such person is required to apply through a local department due to eligibility for other benefits programs. SS. The Department of Medical Assistance Services, in collaboration with the Department of Social Services, shall develop cost estimates for the options proposed in the "Evaluation of Medicaid Eligibility Determination" report to the General Assembly in December 2024 and report back to the Governor, the Director of the Department of Planning and Budget, and the Chairs of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees by September 15, 2025. TT. The Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) and the Department of Social Services (DSS) shall design and institutionalize a joint Steering Committee on Medicaid Eligibility. The Steering Committee shall: (i) document the areas in which DMAS and DSS need to collaborate; (ii) develop and agree upon a charter for the committee that outlines the types of decision rights each agency has independently versus what the Steering Committee oversees, membership, meeting schedule, topics leadership needs routine visibility on, a process for escalating issues to the Steering Committee, a process for the staff to brief the Steering Committee, and a process for coordinating and briefing the Secretary of Health and Human Resources or other state leaders as needed; (iii) determine when special initiatives or task forces are required to ensure focused collaboration on key issues; (iv) have oversight over Medicaid eligibility improvement efforts; and (v) have the authority to establish a stakeholder advisory forum to inform improvement efforts. UU.1. Out of this appropriation, $1,250,000 the second year from the general fund and $1,250,000 the second year from nongeneral funds shall be provided to the Department of Medical Assistance Services, in consultation with Virginia universities and private businesses, to create a pilot program for mobile clinics within maternal health deserts in Virginia, as well as funding for data collection to measure the effectiveness of the program. 2. The department shall evaluate the program’s effectiveness and options for transitioning it to managed care organizations. This evaluation shall be provided to the to the Governor and Chairs of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees by September 1, 2026. Total for Department of Medical Assistance Services $24,574,231,112 $26,272,790,627 $26,219,245,749 $27,548,919,470 General Fund Positions 274.02 274.02 276.52 Nongeneral Fund Positions 292.98 292.98 295.48 Position Level 567.00 567.00 572.00 Fund Sources: General $6,880,624,122 $7,209,890,810 $7,270,962,970 $7,622,621,275 Special $7,329,800 $7,329,800