Publish Date
Introduction
Medicaid waivers are used by states to waive federal requirements and build their own programs. This article provides a list of helpful reference materials associated with specific waiver types with a particular focus on Medicaid waivers available in CMS Research Identifiable Files (RIF). These links work at the time of writing, but availability of these websites may change over time.
General Information
Medicaid Waivers List
- Medicaid.gov, State Waivers List
Contains a list of all 1915(b), 1915(c) and section 1115 waivers including disapproved, expired, and withdrawn applications. Use Advanced Search to filter by Authority.
Federal Requirements for Medicaid
For information on navigating federal statutes, we offer a high-level overview in our Navigating Federal Statutes for Researchers blog post.
- Social Security Administration, Compilation of the Social Security Laws: State Plans for Medical Assistance, Section 1902
The laws surrounding Medicaid sourced from the Social Security Administration. - Cornell Law School, Legal Information Institute: 42 U.S. Code § 1396a - State plans for medical assistance
The laws surrounding Medicaid sourced from the US Code, as listed by Cornell Law School (in my opinion, easier to navigate).
Other
- MACPAC - Waivers
Medicaid 101 article by MACPAC that goes over general Medicaid waiver information, including history and definitions. - CMCS Information Bulletin: Updates to Intake Process for State Submissions to CMS (11/23/2021)
Information bulletin outlining new rules for submitting state waiver applications. Appendix A contains a summarized list of where states should submit waiver applications and reports.
Section 1915(b) Waivers
- Medicaid.gov - Managed Care Authorities
General overview of Section 1915(b) waivers. Also includes information on other Managed Care waivers that states can utilize. - CMS WMS - Waiver Applications and 372 Reports
The application portal for 1915(b) and 1915(c) waivers. The documents on this page can provide information on waiver application requirements, which informs downstream CMS RIF data.
Section 1915(c) Waivers
- CMS WMS - Waiver Applications
The application portal for 1915(b) and 1915(c) waivers. The documents on this page can provide information on waiver application requirements, which informs downstream CMS RIF data. - CMS Medicaid description of HCBS waivers
High-level overview of 1915(c) waivers, including requirements and restrictions.
Section 1115 Demonstrations
- Medicaid.gov - About Section 1115 Demonstrations
Describes the purpose of Section 1115 Demonstrations and the general review process. This page also contains updates to the program starting in 2025. - Medicaid.gov - 1115 Application Process
Describes processes to request or extend Section 1115 Demonstrations, including the COVID-19-specific demonstrations.