Minnesota Receives Approval for Reentry Medicaid Waiver

The federal waiver lets eligible people access certain Medicaid-covered services before leaving incarceration in Minnesota.

Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Substance Abuse

Minnesota Receives Approval for Reentry Medicaid Waiver

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services approved Minnesota's 1115 Reentry Services Demonstration, which allows eligible individuals to access certain Medicaid-covered services before their release. The Minnesota Department of Human Services and Department of Corrections will implement the waiver.

Why it matters

Individuals leaving incarceration often lose access to physical healthcare, behavioral healthcare, and support services during the transition. The waiver creates a pathway to establish or restore Medicaid coverage before release, which may help reduce that gap.

The approval is a federal waiver decision from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services covering Minnesota's pre-release reentry services. The source does not provide enrollment figures, eligible population counts, or a launch date, and implementation details remain to be finalized.

The players

Public Consulting Group

A consulting firm founded in 1986 that employs approximately 2,000 professionals across the United States and supported Minnesota's waiver planning.

The details

The waiver allows eligible individuals to access certain Medicaid-covered services prior to release. Planning involved the Minnesota Department of Human Services, the Department of Corrections, and Public Consulting Group, which also led development of the state's required Implementation Plan and Reinvestment Plan.

July 2025: Public Consulting Group began partnering with the Behavioral Health Administration on waiver planning.
Earlier this fall (2026): CMS approved Minnesota's 1115 Reentry Services Demonstration.
November 12, 2026: A press release announcing the approval was issued from Saint Paul.

Policy Context

Minnesota's approval is a use of the Section 1115 demonstration authority in the Social Security Act to fund pre-release Medicaid services for people leaving incarceration. It places Minnesota among states using that federal waiver tool to address coverage gaps during reentry.

Eligible individuals preparing to leave incarceration in Minnesota may be able to establish or restore Medicaid coverage before release under the waiver. The source does not specify eligibility criteria or when services will become available.

The takeaway

Continuity of Medicaid coverage at release can affect whether people reentering communities keep access to care. The waiver's implementation will show how well pre-release enrollment works in practice.