44TH LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - FIRST SESSION, 1999

RELATING TO HEALTH; CREATING A MEDICAID BUY-IN PROGRAM AS A WORK INCENTIVE FOR CERTAIN DISABLED PERSONS; MAKING AN APPROPRIATION.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

Section 1. MEDICAID BUY-IN--LIMITATION.--The human services department shall establish a medicaid participation work incentive program to permit disabled persons whose earned incomes from substantial gainful activity, as defined by federal guidelines, are less than two hundred fifty percent of the federal poverty level, to participate in the state medicaid program. Participants in the program may not be receiving supplemental social security income benefits or services under the medicaid disabled and elderly or developmentally disabled waiver programs concurrent with participation in the work incentive program. The department shall adopt rules to achieve a maximum level of participation commensurate with funding.

Section 2. APPROPRIATION.--

A. Seven hundred fifty thousand dollars ($750,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the human services department for expenditure in fiscal year 2000 for the purpose of funding medicaid participation as a work incentive for disabled persons, in the following amounts for the following purposes:

(1) six hundred fifty thousand dollars ($650,000) for direct costs of medicaid participation by eligible individuals; and

(2) one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) for administrative start-up costs, including computer programming for eligibility systems, a disability eligibility determination unit and outreach and training.

B. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2000 shall revert to the general fund.