ForwardHealth Community Partners

Updates for local agencies, community-based organizations, and providers that
offer help to members of Wisconsin's health and nutrition assistance programs.

January 11 Special Stakeholder Call: Update on COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Unwinding and Pending Federal Action

A special stakeholder call with updates about eligibility policy for Wisconsin programs is scheduled for January 11 from 12-1 p.m. Topics will include an update on COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) Unwinding and pending federal action related to temporary policies in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To attend, you can:

• Join the Zoom meeting and use meeting ID 1615591331.
• Call 669-254-5252 and use meeting ID 1615591331. You can also use the toll-free number: 844-708-2568.

COVID-19 PHE Unwinding updates

Legislative language was released earlier this week for the federal end-of-year spending package.

This FY 2023 omnibus appropriations bill includes several provisions that would impact the COVID-19 PHE Unwinding if passed. Most notably, it:

• Sets a date of April 1, 2023, for the end of the Medicaid continuous enrollment requirement.
• Establishes a phase-down approach for enhanced federal funding for Medicaid throughout 2023.
• Ends FoodShare emergency allotments after the February 2023 issuance month.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services is following the developments closely. Our plan to redetermine Medicaid eligibility over a 12-month Unwinding period remains in place. If the bill passes in its current or modified form, both the UDSA Food and Nutrition Service and CMS (the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) are expected to provide guidance to states in January.

Stay in the know

• If you have not already done so, register for the DMS-Medicaid Unwinding Communications listserv to receive the latest information about Wisconsin’s COVID-19 unwinding efforts.
• For more information about program updates related to COVID-19, visit the ForwardHealth program updates webpage.
• For the latest information about COVID-19 in Wisconsin, visit the COVID-19 webpage.

About the stakeholder call series

The stakeholder call series provides an opportunity for our partners and stakeholders to learn about eligibility policy updates and rule changes affecting Wisconsin programs, such as FoodShare and Medicaid.

If you have COVID-19 PHE Unwinding questions, questions about the calls, or would like to suggest a topic for a future call, please email us.

Please do not respond to this email. The email box is not monitored and you will not receive a personal response. You are receiving this notification because you have asked to be added to the ForwardHealth Partners information list. For questions, please contact DHS ForwardHealth Partners. Thank you.