Medicaid entitlement for 15 - FY 2026 - T21

The Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services awarded the Georgia Department of Community Health $476,785,734 on October 1, 2025, under the Children's Health Insurance Program (CFDA 93.767) Block Grant.

The award funds Georgia's CHIP operations through September 30, 2027, supporting health care coverage for low-income, uninsured children and, at state option, low-income pregnant women across Georgia. Georgia's Department of Medical Assistance, operating as the Financial Service Division, administers the program as the state's designated agency for CHIP and Medicaid services.

CHIP is a federal-state matching program with capped federal funding. States may operate a separate CHIP program, expand eligibility for children under their state Medicaid program, or combine both approaches. The program has served over seven million children nationally under age 19. States must maintain approved state child health plans unless amended or found in substantial noncompliance with Title XXI requirements. State plan amendments receive a 90-day review period from CMS, which may be stopped by formal requests for additional information; the review clock resumes upon receipt of completed information. Nonfederal entities expending $750,000 or more in federal awards annually are subject to single or program-specific audit under 2 CFR 200, Subpart F.