Walla Walla County approves agreements to join Washington Medicaid reentry initiative for juvenile detention

Walla Walla County commissioners authorized memoranda of understanding Wednesday to let the county's Juvenile Justice Center participate in a Washington Medicaid reentry initiative, the 1115 Medicaid transformation project.
The agreements with UnitedHealthcare of Washington Inc., WellPoint Washington Inc. and Molina Healthcare of Washington Inc. were approved 3-0 after Nori, the county's Director of Court Services, told commissioners the MOUs are required for the county's Juvenile Justice Center to participate in the reentry program even when a subcontracted provider will perform the care and billing.
The MOUs are part of the Apple Health network participation and the broader Medicaid transformation waiver. "These requests are related to Court Services JJC's participation in the reentry initiative, also referred to as the 11-15 Medicaid transformation project," Nori told the board, explaining the agreements allow the county or a subcontractor to bill Medicaid through the Health Care Authority for certain services provided to youth held in the detention center.
Why it matters: participation makes it possible for the Juvenile Justice Center to receive Medicaid reimbursement for eligible services provided to Washington-resident youth in detention, which county staff said can help sustain reentry and targeted case-management services beyond the state's capacity-building funding period.
What staff told commissioners: Nori said the county had planned to subcontract direct services and billing to an outside provider listed in a request for proposals (RFP). "Regardless of the fact that the county will not be doing the billing or providing direct services, we still need these agreements with the MCOs in order to participate in this project," she said. Nori said the county will bring two additional MOUs for other MCOs at a later date to complete participation.
Nori explained timing changes tied to cohorts and local procurement: the Juvenile Justice Center was initially aligned with cohort 1 of the state's rollout but will move to cohort 2 with a January 1 go-live date after county staff judged the procurement and contracting schedule would not meet an earlier November date. "We will be transitioning into Cohort 2. It does not affect our funding," she said.
On billing: the county's RFP requires the selected provider agency to perform Medicaid billing as an "in-reach provider" rather than a county employee. Nori said one interested provider has existing managed-care agreements and Medicaid-billing capacity. If the RFP does not yield an acceptable provider, the county may partner with the sheriff's jail operations to use personnel there to deliver and bill services, Nori said.
On eligibility: Nori confirmed the waiver's services are available only to Washington residents; youth who are Oregon residents are excluded from this Medicaid waiver participation.
Formal actions: Commissioners approved three motions, each authorizing the Director of Court Services to sign the respective MOUs with UnitedHealthcare, WellPoint and Molina Healthcare. Each motion passed 3-0.
What's next: staff will return with the remaining MOUs, and the county will complete the RFP process to select a provider to deliver direct reentry services and manage billing.