Tapping into Federal COVID-19 Relief Funding
& Medicaid to Support Schools and the
Wellbeing of Students

April 2023

Published by Healthy Schools Campaign, Council of Chief State School Officers, and the National Center for School Mental Health

This handout expands upon and consolidates information from the 2021 resource RESTART & RECOVERY: Leveraging Federal COVID Relief Funding & Medicaid to Support Student & Staff Wellbeing & Connection. It includes guidance about how states can utilize federal relief funding to expand school Medicaid to support student mental health, along with recommendations for coordination across agencies.

Many states and local school districts are already building capacity and infrastructure that support student and staff wellbeing and connection. Because Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds are flexible and can be used in innovative ways, states can tap them to create supports that can be sustained through the expansion of school-based Medicaid programs.