An Act To Establish Meals on Wheels as a Service Covered under the MaineCare Program
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 0472
Committee: Health and Human Services
Sponsors: COOPER, SANBORN, BREEN, HERBIG, KORNFIELD, MASTRACCIO
Amends: 22 MRSA §3174-Y

Legislative Document 
No. 472 
H.P. 311 
House of Representatives, February 24, 2015 
An Act To Establish Meals on Wheels as a Service Covered under 
the MaineCare Program 
Reference to the Committee on Health and Human Services suggested and ordered printed. 
ROBERT B. HUNT 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative COOPER of Yarmouth. 
Cosponsored by Representative SANBORN of Gorham, Senator BREEN of Cumberland and 
Representatives: HERBIG of Belfast, KORNFIELD of Bangor, MASTRACCIO of Sanford. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  22 MRSA §3174-YY is enacted to read: 
§3174-YY.  Meals for persons 60 years of age and older 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, by October 1, 2015, the department shall 
provide for the reimbursement under the MaineCare program of all costs related to home-
delivered meals that contain at least 1/3 of the recommended dietary allowances 
established for persons 60 years of age and older by an independent national scientific 
research council approved by the department. 
Sec. 2.  Department of Health and Human Services to apply for approval.  
The Department of Health and Human Services shall apply to the federal Department of 
Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for the 
necessary waivers or state plan amendments to reimburse for home-delivered meals for 
persons 60 years of age and older, also known as Meals on Wheels. 
Sec. 3.  Impact on persons receiving home-delivered nutrition services 
who are not eligible for MaineCare program.  Persons receiving home-delivered 
nutrition services who are eligible for the services under Department of Health and 
Human Services Rule Chapter 5, Bureau of Elder and Adult Services Policy Manual, 
Section 65, Nutrition Services but are not otherwise eligible for the MaineCare program 
remain eligible for the nutrition services but are not reimbursed by the MaineCare 
program pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 22, section 3174-YY. 
Sec. 4.  Contingent effective date.  That section of this Act that enacts the Maine 
Revised Statutes, Title 22, section 3174-YY does not take effect unless the federal 
Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 
grants the necessary waivers or state plan amendments applied for in section 2.  The 
Commissioner of Health and Human Services shall notify the Secretary of State, the 
Secretary of the Senate, the Clerk of the House and the Revisor of Statutes when the 
commissioner has received approval of the necessary waivers or state plan amendments. 
SUMMARY 
This bill allows Meals on Wheels to be reimbursed under the MaineCare program.  It 
requires the Department of Health and Human Services to apply for the necessary 
waivers or state plan amendments from the federal Department of Health and Human 
Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.  It allows those persons who are 
currently eligible to receive home-delivered meals from Meals on Wheels under 
department rule but would not otherwise be eligible for the MaineCare program to 
continue to receive meals.