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County Government 101: Catastrophic Medical Reimbursement

By Justin Hall, Nelson County Jailer
Is your county leaving money on the table?

Catastrophic medical reimbursement is a Department of Corrections (DOC) Division of Local Facilities fund to assist counties in offsetting the costs of medical care for county inmates. Refer to KRS 441.045 for additional details here.

To qualify for reimbursement:

  • The care must be necessary as defined by statute.
  • The total cost of care must exceed $1,000 (after being repriced by WellPath – repricing sheet must be included).
  • The inmate must be indigent (must include an affidavit of indigency or letter from Public Defender’s office representing the offender).
  • The care must not be eligible for payment by Medicaid.

The county is responsible for the initial $1,000 cost of care. Once the reimbursement request is approved by the DOC, the DOC will reimburse the county for the remaining balance.

The legislature sets aside funding for catastrophic medical reimbursement in the biennial budget which is typically funded at $850,000 per fiscal year.

Helpful forms and resources:

 

If you need additional guidance, feel free to reach out to Tracey Reed, KACo Jail Consultant at trreed53@gmail.com.

Submit questions and claims information directly to the Department of Corrections to catastrophic.Reimbursement@ky.gov.

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