In a special edition of Advocacy in Action on July 7, 2025, participants received a recap on the passage of House Bill 96, the FY26-27 state operating budget. Governor Mike DeWine signed the bill into law on June 30, but not before wielding his veto pen to strike 67 provisions in the measure, some related to aging services and Medicaid.
The LeadingAge Ohio policy team outlined final budget provisions, including overall spending reductions in Medicaid; the critical inclusion of a LeadingAge Ohio-endorsed amendment that corrected an error related to the transition to the Patient Diven Payment Model (PDPM) formula for nursing facility reimbursement; the inclusion of an amendment around prompt start of services for PACE; and the abolishment of the Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee (JMOC), among other provisions.
Staff also ran down the list of Medicaid and aging services-related line-item vetoes, including a requirement for Medicaid to pay claims even if electronic visit verification (EVV) data was not available at the time of payment; a provision establishing a $110 Medicaid rate add-on for dialysis services delivered in nursing facilities, arguing that while supportive, the administration did not want rates established in statute; and explicit language tied to the Personal Needs Allowance increase, which the administration deemed was not needed in order to institute the increase, among other vetoes.
The team also briefly touched upon the passage and signing of H.R. 1, the federal budget, which was passed by Congress and signed by President Trump over the July 4th weekend. Members are encouraged to register for LeadingAge National’s weekly National Policy Pulse call held on Monday’s at 3:30PM to understand what is included in the federal legislation, and how it impacts aging services. You can also follow LeadingAge National’s serial post for further updates.
Please register to join us on July 21, 2025, for the next Advocacy in Action monthly call. For more information on the state and federal budgets, contact Eli Faes at efaes@leadingageohio.org.