Good news for paid caregiver parents providing care to their children with special needs. The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) has received a temporary extension of federal approval to pay parents for providing direct care to their minor children enrolled in the Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS).

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted the temporary extension of the State’s existing COVID-19 Appendix K authority to allow the State and CMS to continue negotiations over the demonstration amendment application submitted on September 27, 2023 that proposes to allow AHCCCS to continue the program permanently. The authority will now expire March 29, 2024 or once the proposal is approved, whichever may come first.

-Stephanie A. Bivens, Esq., CELA