Nebraska Medicaid records detail requests to fund administrative changes

Nebraska health department records describe contractor funding requests and an early-July paperwork pattern in work-requirement-related denials among adult Medicaid applicants, KFF Health News reported November 10.

The documents outlined $8.2 million in requested contractor funding over two years for Medicaid changes, including work requirements and more frequent eligibility checks. Department spokesperson Jeff Powell told KFF that the funding requests may not reflect actual expenditures.

As of early July, most denials related to work requirements among Nebraska adults applying for Medicaid resulted from unsubmitted paperwork, according to internal department documents reported by KFF.

The state’s April 30 announcement described different schedules for new applicants and existing members in the Medicaid expansion program. The department planned to begin applying the requirements to new expansion applicants May 1; existing members would be reviewed through phased renewals, with the first affected eligibility periods ending July 31.

The department said it would attempt to verify whether members met the requirements using information it already held before asking for additional details. Its announcement described the phased rollout continuing through June 2027.

State data cited by KFF showed average health department call-center waits of about 13 minutes in May and 26 minutes in July, before declining in August.