CareSource Reentry Program Pays up to $500 for Removal of Criminal Records

(INDIANAPOLIS) – CareSource, a nationally recognized nonprofit health plan has received Indiana state approval to pay up to $500 for the expungement of criminal records for returning citizens.

The expungement benefit will protect returning citizens’ privacy and allow them to take advantage of employment, education or other opportunities that might have previously been closed due to criminal records.-

The new benefit is part of CareSource’s Indiana Reentry Program, a pilot program with the Indiana Department of Corrections (IDOC). Among the first of its kind in the country, the program aims to connect with prisoners before their release and provide support after release for a seamless transition back to the community and to self-sufficiency.

“After incarceration, returning citizens face additional hurdles as their criminal records bar them from certain housing, education, employment and licensing opportunities,” said Cameual Wright Wright, M.D., CareSource’s Medical Director in Indiana. “Expungement removes the criminal record of eligible individuals, allowing them a greater chance of success in the community.”

As part of the reentry program’s case-management approach, CareSource criminal justice liaisons work with offenders while they are still in prison by conducting pre-release education classes and coordinating care and community services upon release. In 2018, the program provided pre-release education to nearly 700 offenders.

After release, a returning citizen receives a health needs screening by CareSource’s reentry team, Members may also engage with a Life Coach through the CareSource JobConnect program, who provides support for their education and employment goals.

Originally intended to be in two prisons, the reentry program is now in all 15 Indiana prisons due to the demand. The new expungement benefit will further assist returning citizens with their major life transition and benefit their health and overall well-being.

“This additional benefit will allow our members to focus on their future and, most importantly, all aspects of their health as they transition back into the community,” said Steve Smitherman, Indiana CareSource President.

CareSource plans to continue to extend the Reentry Program in 2019 to all 15 active IDOC correctional facilities, add to its cadre of 35 community partners and improve the process for offenders when applying for Medicaid.

About CareSource
CareSource is a leading nonprofit multi-state health plan serving government sponsored programs and is nationally recognized as an industry leader in providing member-centric health care coverage. Founded in 1989, CareSource administers one of the nation’s largest Medicaid managed care plans. Today, CareSource offers individuals and families comprehensive health and life services including Marketplace and Medicare Advantage plans.

Headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, CareSource serves 1.8 million members in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia and Georgia. CareSource understands the challenges consumers face navigating the health system and works to put health care in reach for those it serves.

For more, visit www.caresource.com, follow @caresource on Twitter, or like CareSource on Facebook.