Summary of Medicaid State Plan Amendments for Community Health Workers

California and other states across the country are incorporating community health workers (CHWs) into their Medicaid programs. This often requires states to submit a State Plan Amendment (SPA) to the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for approval.

While some states’ SPAs incorporate CHWs into Medicaid through targeted pathways, such as health homes and targeted care management for specific subpopulations, seven states have submitted SPAs that seek authorization for CHWs to serve a broad Medicaid population. These states include:

• California
• Indiana
• Louisiana
• Minnesota
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• South Dakota

The chart, available for download below, summarizes these seven SPAs.