What is the 1115 Medicaid Waiver in New York?
An 1115 Waiver lets a state test new ways of delivering Medicaid. New York's current waiver, approved by CMS in 2024, funds services that go beyond traditional medical care — including nutrition support, housing navigation, transportation, and care management — for eligible Medicaid members.
The idea: when basic social needs (food, housing, safety) are unstable, health outcomes suffer and costs rise. The waiver pays to address those upstream needs directly.
What is a Social Care Network (SCN)?
A Social Care Network is a regional lead organization contracted by the NY State Department of Health to deliver the waiver's health-related social needs (HRSN) services. Each region of New York has its own SCN lead, which coordinates a network of local providers — meal vendors, food pantries, housing groups, transportation partners, and more.
When a Medicaid member is screened and identified as having a qualifying need, the SCN refers them to an approved vendor in its network.
How HRSN services work
- Screening. A clinician, care manager, or the SCN itself screens a Medicaid member for health-related social needs.
- Eligibility. If the member is enrolled in NY Medicaid, has a qualifying social need (often food insecurity), and meets clinical criteria, they qualify.
- Referral. The SCN refers the member to an approved vendor — for nutrition, that may be a medically tailored meal provider like MealCare.
- Service. The vendor delivers the service. Medicaid covers the cost through the SCN; there is no charge to the member.
How to find your regional SCN lead
New York is divided into multiple SCN regions, each with its own lead. The fastest way to find yours is to start with your Medicaid managed care plan or your primary care provider — both can refer you in. If you're not sure where to begin, you can submit your information through MealCare and our team will help connect you to the right SCN contact for your borough or county.
Where MealCare fits in
MealCare is an approved vendor in the SCN network for home-delivered, medically supportive meals. We don't determine eligibility — that's the SCN's role — but once a member is referred, we prepare and deliver weekly meals tailored to their condition, fully covered by Medicaid.
MealCare is a vendor that helps facilitate the home-delivered meals benefit under the NY 1115 Medicaid Waiver Social Care Network. Eligibility and coverage are determined by the New York State Department of Health and the SCN.