NJ Reentry Corporation and University Hospital to Convene Statewide H.R. 1 Conference
Newark, N.J. — The New Jersey Reentry Corporation and University Hospital will convene a half-day statewide policy conference on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.at University Hospital, 150 Bergen Street, Newark, New Jersey, to address H.R. 1 / Public Law 119-21, Medicaid, SNAP, clinical exemptions, eligibility documentation, and benefit continuity for court-involved persons, individuals in recovery, veterans, and medically vulnerable reentry participants.
Confirmed speakers and experts include Senator M. Teresa Ruiz, Senate Majority Leader; Senator Joseph Vitale, Chair of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee; Dr. Stephen Cha, Acting Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Human Services; Carole Johnson, President and Chief Executive Officer of University Hospital; Dr. Petros Levounis, Professor of Psychiatry at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and former President of the American Psychiatric Association; Dr. Ije Akunyili, Chief Medical Officer, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School; Phil Alagia, Chief of Staff, Essex County / Essex Correctional Facility; Amaya Diana, Policy Analyst, Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured, KFF; Allison Hamblin, President and Chief Executive Officer, Center for Health Care Strategies; Jeanne Hengemuhle, Acting Superintendent, New Jersey State Police; Cara Henley, Regional Director, Health Management Associates; Frank Mazza, Director, Hudson County Department of Family Services and Reintegration; Wardell Sanders, President, New Jersey Association of Health Plans; and Kinda Serafi, Managing Director, Manatt Health.
The conference, “H.R. 1: Protecting Health and Nutrition Support for Reentry Participants,” will focus on the operational standards New Jersey will need to prevent eligible individuals from losing Medicaid or SNAP because of incomplete records, missed notices, unclear exemption standards, or fragmented documentation.
Under H.R. 1, SNAP work requirements for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents are already in effect, while Medicaid community-engagement requirements for applicable individuals are scheduled to begin January 1, 2027. NJRC’s working framework emphasizes separate Medicaid and SNAP screening, identification of exemptions and exceptions, monthly verification, Salesforce-based documentation, and notice-and-cure response to help preserve benefits for eligible participants.
“We are grateful to Governor Sherrill, Commissioner Dr. Stephen Cha, and the Administration for making H.R. 1 and SNAP compliance a priority,” stated Jim McGreevey, Executive Director, New Jersey Reentry Corporation. “For the reentry population, Medicaid and SNAP are not peripheral benefits. They are the foundation for treatment continuity, psychiatric stabilization, addiction recovery, nutrition, employment, and public safety. New Jersey must build a clear, documented, and auditable process so eligible individuals do not lose healthcare or food assistance because of paperwork barriers rather than legal ineligibility.”
The program will examine H.R. 1’s regulatory architecture, Medicaid eligibility operations, clinical exemptions for persons with substance use disorder, mental illness, disability, homelessness, hospitalization, and serious medical needs, as well as documentation standards necessary to protect medically vulnerable participants.
NJRC will also present its proposed seven-step operational response: benefits enrollment or reactivation; Medicaid and SNAP screening; reentry lookback documentation; preservation of clinical, treatment, veteran, and exemption proof; placement into qualifying community engagement where required; monthly verification; and notice-and-cure response.
Registration information is available through NJRC. For more information, please contact LaceyAnn Francis at lfrancis@njreentry.org