Governor O’Bannon formally submitted a waiver application to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid on July 11. Since the program services are not standard CHIP services, the waiver must be approved before the program can begin.

While CMM expects to respond with comments in 30 days, there is no deadline for action. CMM has been claiming recently that it has dramatically improved the waiver turnaround time.

In the meantime, we continue to lay the foundation for the project. Legal issues are being resolved, procedures written, and matching funds are being raised. Liz Carroll is coordinating the project. You can reach her at 317-232-4305.