State Medicaid & CHIP Toolkit for Children’s Behavioral Health Services and the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) Requirements

April 1, 2026

Author: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Category: Policy and Strategy Case Studies

Keywords: access, care coordination, CHIP, Medicaid, policy, strategies, workforce

This CMS toolkit supports state Medicaid and CHIP agencies improve access to behavioral health services under the EPSDT benefit. It outlines actionable strategies across four key areas (care delivery systems, early intervention, service coordination, and workforce capacity) with state examples and includes appendices with service models, implementation considerations, and additional resources.