TMPPM 2008 > Texas Medicaid Services > School Health and Related Services (SHARS) > School Enrollment

42.2 School Enrollment

To enroll in the Texas Medicaid Program as a SHARS provider, school districts, including public charter schools, must employ or contract with individuals or entities that meet certification and licensing requirements in accordance with the Texas Medicaid State Plan for SHARS to provide program services. Since public school districts are government entities, they should select "public entity" on the enrollment application.

SHARS providers are required to notify parents/guardians of their rights to a "freedom of choice of providers" (42 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] §431.51) under the Texas Medicaid Program. Most SHARS providers currently provide this notification during the initial Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) process. If a parent requests that someone other than the employees or currently contracted staff of the SHARS provider (school district) provide a required service listed in the student's IEP, the SHARS provider must make a good faith effort to comply with the parent's request. The SHARS provider can negotiate with the requested provider to provide the services under contract. The requested provider must meet, comply with, and provide all of the employment criteria and documentation that the SHARS provider normally requires of its employees and currently contracted staff. The SHARS provider can negotiate the contracted fee with the requested provider and is not required to pay the same fee that the requested provider might receive from Medicaid for similar services. If the SHARS provider and the requested provider do not agree on a contract, the parties can determine whether a nonschool SHARS relationship in accordance with 42 CFR §431.51 is possible. If the parties do not agree to a nonschool SHARS relationship, the SHARS provider is responsible for providing the required services and must notify the parent that no contracted or nonschool SHARS relationship could be established with the requested provider.

Refer to: "Reimbursement" .