Great News: Great Lakes Achieves ARPA Relief for Indiana HME Providers

Published in Government Relations on November 02, 2022

State Update

Congratulations to Indiana, and the Great Lakes State Association, on achieving ARPA relief for Indiana HME providers. This process started for them back in 2021 and their work paid off.

Read below, as reported by Great Lakes:

During the summer of 2021, Great Lakes initiated contact with the State Medicaid Directors in Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan to request support for HME providers in the allocation of federal funds that states were receiving from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for home- and community-based providers’ relief due to the public health emergency. Great Lake’s efforts were collaborative with the American Association for Homecare and NCART.
 
Per CMS guidance, states may apply this increase to among other things, home- and community-based services (HCBS) which have been broadly defined to include HME under the Home Health benefit. Great Lakes’ June 2021 letters to Medicaid Directors below FYI: 
•    Illinois Letter to Director Eagleson at HFS
•    Indiana Letter to Director Taylor at FSSA
•    Michigan Letter to Director Massey at MDHHS
 
For more than a year, Great Lakes continued contact with these agencies to urge ARPA relief support for HME providers. In July, we received word from Indiana Medicaid Director Allison Taylor, Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA), that they had submitted their ARPA proposal to the FSSA leadership team for consideration of HME providers. We’ve been waiting for word and on Tuesday, we received notice from Director Taylor that HME providers are now eligible for ARPA relief funds through the FSSA HME/DME Stabilization Grant. She shared an FAQ and presentation slides with additional details.  The information has been posted on the agency’s website here:  
https://www.in.gov/fssa/ompp/hcbs-enhanced-fmap-spending-plan/ 
 
Great Lakes followed up yesterday with FSSA, along with our Indiana lobbyists, to clarify grant details such as the type of HME claims included (fee-for-service and/or managed care), and to verify the claim dates used to determine the relief amount. In the meantime, we urge members to submit the required Attestation Form via this link. A signed and submitted attestation form is the only required documentation to demonstrate eligibility for the grant and must be submitted to FSSA by November 18, 2022. 

We will report back as we learn more details. Feel free to contact Great Lakes executive director Kam Yuricich at kam@greatlakeshme.org with any questions or you can submit questions and/or feedback to the agency directly at hcbs.spendplan@fssa.in.gov.  

This achievement for Indiana HME providers was a massive team effort! We’d like to thank Director Taylor and her team at the Indiana Medicaid agency for recognizing the critical role of our members during the public health emergency. We'd like to acknowledge the tenacious efforts of Great Lakes president Chuck Williams, executive director Kam Yuricich, and numerous Great Lakes Indiana providers who engaged with FSSA officials and state legislators on this critical issue. Also, thank you to our national allies, Laura Williard and David Chandler at the American Association for Homecare, and Don Clayback, former NCART executive director for their assistance. 

Indiana becomes the third state in the country (Ohio and Massachusetts) to receive ARPA funds for HME providers as part of the home- and community-based provider relief. Great Lakes will continue work in Illinois and Michigan to gain support for HME providers in those states as well and share the latest Indiana news with the Medicaid Directors.
 


TAGS

  1. billing & reimbursement
  2. state association
  3. vgm government

From Our Experts

The Return of Competitive Bidding thumbnail The Return of Competitive Bidding The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) appear to be laying the groundwork for another round of the Competitive Bidding Program (CBP). While full implementation will take a couple of years, an official announcement is expected this summer—potentially as early as July. Out With The Old RAC, In With The New thumbnail Out With The Old RAC, In With The New On April 28, 2025, CMS awarded Cotiviti GOV Services LLC, the new RAC Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) Region 3, 4, and 5 contracts. RAC Region 3 includes the following Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) jurisdictions: JJ, JM, and JN. RAC Region 4 includes jurisdictions: JE, JF, and JL. And RAC Region 5 includes jurisdictions: JA, JB, JC, JD, as well as the HH/H MACs: J6, J15, JK, and JM. Iowa Leads the Charge! All Four Representatives Back H.R. 2005—Will Your State Step Up? thumbnail Iowa Leads the Charge! All Four Representatives Back H.R. 2005—Will Your State Step Up? At VGM Group, Inc. we have the pleasure of serving our members and partners throughout the country.  One of the many ways we do this is through legislative advocacy, working with our partners to create a more equitable and effective healthcare system. All our VGM units are dedicated to advancing our partners' businesses, streamlining operations, and working every day to enhance reimbursement for the quality in-home healthcare our industry provides all people. Mike Hamilton Of ADMEA Honored With The Mal Mixon Advocate Award thumbnail Mike Hamilton Of ADMEA Honored With The Mal Mixon Advocate Award Last week, during the 2025 AAHomecare Washington Legislative Conference, Mike Hamilton, Executive Director of ADMEA, was honored with the prestigious Mal Mixon Advocate Award. VGM Senior Leaders Engage in Advocacy at AAHomecare Legislative Conference thumbnail VGM Senior Leaders Engage in Advocacy at AAHomecare Legislative Conference This week, VGM leaders attended the AAHomecare Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., a premier event dedicated to advancing healthcare policy and advocacy. AAHomecare provided attendees with valuable insights, equipping them with key discussion points and strategies for effective meetings with legislators. Champion of Change: Paula Vineyard of Elana Health & Loop Medical Leads Healthcare Advocacy in West Virginia thumbnail Champion of Change: Paula Vineyard of Elana Health & Loop Medical Leads Healthcare Advocacy in West Virginia On Thursday, May 8, Paula Vineyard, owner of Elana Health & Loop Medical, took a pivotal step in healthcare advocacy by hosting a meeting with Tyler Ohrn, Field Representative for Congresswoman Carol Miller of West Virginia's First District. The hour-long discussion centered on the pressing need for congressional support of H.R. 2005. Manufacturer Survey On Tariffs thumbnail Manufacturer Survey On Tariffs The American Association for Homecare and VGM Group are seeking valuable insights from durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) manufacturers and vendor partners regarding tariffs imposed on certain countries. Key Payers Denied Your Application Citing Their Network Is Closed – Now What? thumbnail Key Payers Denied Your Application Citing Their Network Is Closed – Now What? This experience has increasingly become one of the most common questions we receive from our provider members as more and more payers move to narrow their provider networks. The reasons payers seek to narrow their networks are simple. Payers are highly motivated to achieve their goals while doing less work and are not required to allow providers into their networks unless there is a patient access issue. For those of you fortunate enough to be a part of a narrow network, this may not be much of