North Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS) is seeking public comment on the five-year renewal of its Medicaid 1915(c) waiver for medically fragile children. Public comment will be accepted from Jan. 28 through Feb. 26, at 5 p.m. CT.

The waiver allows Medicaid to pay for services for children between the ages of three up to 21 who are medically fragile. The goal of this waiver is to help families keep their children at home instead of having to place them in a nursing home or hospital to receive needed care.  

The draft waiver can be found at hhs.nd.gov/waivers. Copies are also available upon request.   

Comments can be submitted by mail to North Dakota Health and Human Services Medical Services Division, Attn: Kathy Barchenger, 600 E. Boulevard Ave., Dept. 325, Bismarck, N.D. 58505, by email to [email protected], or by phone at (800) 755-2604 or 711 (TTY). 

After the public comment period ends, HHS will submit the five-year renewal to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for approval with a proposed effective date of June 1, 2026. 

Waivers are agreements between CMS and a state's Medicaid agency and serve specific groups of people. Waivers specify the number of people to be served, eligibility criteria, available services-including any limits on services - and procedures for the evaluation and re-evaluation of level of care.