Requires DHS to increase home and community-based services under Medicaid.

A4308

ASSEMBLY, No. 4308

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 19, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman� SHANIQUE SPEIGHT

District 29 (Essex and Hudson)

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires DHS to increase home and community-based
services under Medicaid.�

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
concerning Medicaid�s
home and community-based
services and supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� The Commissioner of
Human Services shall:���������

���� a.���� by 2027, aim to place
80 percent Medicaid participants, who are eligible to receive nursing home
care, in home and community-based services, with 60 percent of the Medicaid
funding for long-term services and supports to be allocated to home and
community-based services;

���� b.��� by 2029, aim to allocate
70 percent of the Medicaid funding for long-term services and supports to home
and community-based services;

���� c.���� establish a five-year
strategic plan to rapidly expand home and community-based services by investing
monies from available funds in a manner that decreases the number of
individuals who are institutionalized in State developmental centers;

���� d.��� take measures to reduce
institutional bias in State policy, including Medicaid eligibility changes,
more timely authorizations for home and community-based services, and Medicaid
coverage changes designed to promote home and community-based services;

���� e.���� develop an equitable
plan across health care provider types with stakeholder input prior to
expiration of enhanced federal funding contained in the federal American Rescue
Plan Act of 2021 (Pub.L. 117-2);����

���� f.���� manage Medicaid payment
methods for home and community-based services in a manner that ensures a living
wage for caregivers, and periodically review the adequacy of rates in a
transparent, verifiable manner, with predictable adjustments in wages to account
for inflation;

���� g. in collaboration with the
Department of Community Affairs, increase affordable supportive housing through
various policies, including better coordination of programs at the State level,
and promoting the integration of acute, primary, and long-term care through the
expansion of integrated care models, such as the Program of All-Inclusive Care
for the Elderly; and

���� h. prepare and submit to the
Governor and, to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164
(C.52:14-19.1), an annual report containing information on the Department of
Human Services�s progress in implementing the provisions of this act.

���� 2.� The Commissioner of Human
Services shall apply for such State plan amendments or waivers as may be
necessary to implement the provisions of this act and to secure federal
financial participation for State Medicaid expenditures under the federal
Medicaid program.

���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill requires the Department
of Human Services to increase home and community-based services under Medicaid.

���� Under the bill, the
Commissioner of Human Services is required to:� 1) by 2027, aim to place 80
percent Medicaid participants, who are eligible to receive nursing home care,
in home and community-based services, with 60 percent of the Medicaid funding
for long-term services and supports allocated to home and community-based
services; 2) by 2029, aim to allocate 70 percent of the Medicaid funding for
long-term services and supports to home and community-based services; 3)
establish a five-year strategic plan to rapidly expand home and community-based
services by investing monies from available funds in a manner that decreases
the number of individuals who are institutionalized in State developmental
centers; 4) take measures to reduce institutional bias in State policy,
including Medicaid eligibility changes, more timely authorizations for home and
community-based services, and Medicaid coverage changes designed to promote home
and community-based services; 5) develop an equitable plan across health care
provider types with stakeholder input prior to expiration of enhanced federal
funding contained in the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021; 6) manage
Medicaid payment methods for home and community-based services in a manner that
ensures a living wage for caregivers, and periodically review the adequacy of
rates in a transparent, verifiable manner, with predictable adjustments in
wages to account for inflation; and 7) in collaboration with the Department of
Community Affairs, increase affordable supportive housing through various
policies, including better coordination of programs at the State level, and
promoting the integration of acute, primary, and long-term care through the expansion
of integrated care models, such as the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the
Elderly.