The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced the availability of $32 million in grants to support outreach efforts to enroll children in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

The funds will support efforts to make families aware of the availability of free or low-cost health coverage under Medicaid and CHIP, identify children likely to be eligible and assist families with the application and renewal process

The Connecting Kids to Coverage Outreach and Enrollment Grant funds are provided under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015, continuing the program first funded in 2009 under the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) and extended under the Affordable Care Act.  To date, approximately $126 million in grant funding has been awarded to help reduce the number of children who are eligible for Medicaid and CHIP but are not enrolled. Today’s funding opportunity is the fourth cycle of this initiative.

NJHA’s Health Research and Educational Trust was a previous recipient of CHIPRA grant funding, which helped maximize enrollment of eligible children and families into NJ FamilyCare.

In the latest round of funding, a total of $32 million will be available over two years. State and local governments, certain healthcare provider organizations, nonprofit organizations and schools and school districts are eligible to apply.  

Proposals are due Jan. 20. Additional information and application requirements are available on the Grants.gov site.