Frequently Asked Questions About Justice System Consulting
How can a behavioral health provider start a re-entry program for justice-involved individuals in Arizona?
Starting a re-entry program in Arizona requires: AHCCCS provider enrollment and MCO credentialing (or confirmation your existing enrollment covers justice-related services), development of clinical policies and procedures meeting AHCCCS TIP Justice Track standards, hiring or training Forensic Peer Support Specialists with lived experience, establishing formal partnerships with a County Sherriff's Officer and/or the Arizona Department of Corrections Rehabilitation & Reentry (ADCRR) or county jails through a Memorandum of Understanding, developing 42 CFR Part 2-compliant data-sharing agreements if serving individuals with SUD, and implementing HRSN screening using PRAPARE or an equivalent tool. Hess III Consulting has built this infrastructure multiple times and can accelerate your development timeline significantly.
What is a Forensic Peer Support Specialist and why are they essential to re-entry programs?
A Forensic Peer Support Specialist (FPSS) is a Peer Support Specialist who has lived experience of incarceration and has received specialized training in criminogenic risk-needs principles, the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model, and the specific challenges of the re-entry transition. FPSS are essential to effective re-entry programs because trust is the first barrier to engagement — and trust between a newly released individual and a health care system is built most effectively by someone who has walked the same path. FPSS conduct reach-in services inside correctional facilities, meet individuals at release, provide intensive post-release outreach (three contacts weekly for the first 90 days in the SRC model), and serve as the continuity bridge between corrections, health care, and community.
How does Arizona’s AHCCCS enrollment suspension program work for incarcerated individuals?
Arizona operates a unique “enrollment suspension and reinstatement” model under AHCCCS. When an individual is incarcerated, their AHCCCS eligibility is suspended — not terminated. This means they can be reinstated upon release without requiring a full new application, provided their underlying eligibility criteria are still met. AHCCCS coordinates with ADCRR and county facilities to facilitate reinstatement. Additionally, AHCCCS TIP-enrolled justice clinic providers can submit pre-release AHCCCS enrollment applications through Health-E-Arizona Plus up to 30 days prior to prison release, so that coverage is active on the day of release. Hess III Consulting has helped multiple Arizona providers build the pre-release systems that make this work in practice.
How do work requirements under HR 1 affect justice-involved individuals on AHCCCS?
The One Big Beautiful Bill (HR 1) requires AHCCCS members ages 19-64 (with specific exemptions) to demonstrate 80 hours per month of qualifying community engagement beginning December 31, 2026. Justice-involved individuals are among the most at-risk groups for losing coverage under this requirement — they often have criminal records that limit employment options, are in early recovery and not yet stable enough for consistent work, may have probation or parole reporting obligations that compete with employment hours, and may lack the administrative literacy to navigate the documentation requirements. Providers serving justice-involved populations should begin building community engagement documentation support into their care coordination workflows now.
Can Hess III Consulting help us build a Medicaid proposal that includes a justice re-entry service model?
Yes. Our 92% Medicaid managed care proposal win rate includes multiple proposals with justice system service components. We have designed justice system of care strategies for AHCCCS ACC-RBHA proposals, including network design, clinical models, MCO justice liaison programs, COT coordination protocols, and performance metrics. If you are competing for an AHCCCS contract or behavioral health managed care contract that includes justice-involved populations, our team has the deepest bench of justice-specific Medicaid proposal expertise available.
