Requests President and Congress take action to permit federal Medicaid funding for certain substance use disorder programs.

SCR 85 is a New Jersey Senate concurrent resolution requesting the federal government to change Medicaid rules so that substance use disorder treatment programs in certain facilities can receive federal funding. Currently, federal Medicaid law excludes funding for such programs in facilities classified as Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMDs) because substance use disorder is defined as a mental disease under federal law. The resolution asks Congress and the President to consider repealing the IMD exclusion, removing substance use disorder from the definition of mental disease for IMD purposes, or increasing IMD bed limits. This would allow states like New Jersey to access federal Medicaid funds for these programs, reducing state costs and potentially expanding treatment access for individuals with substance use disorders.