Medicaid and CHIP Services (MCS) Fellow

TX-HHSC-DSHS-DFPS•Austin, TX

10d•Onsite

About The Position

The Medicaid and CHIP Services (MCS) department within the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) seeks highly qualified candidates to fill multiple full-time positions for our Fall 2026 Fellowship Program. MCS provides health care, long-term services and support to low-income children and their families, pregnant women, former foster care youth, individuals with disabilities and people age 65 and older. The fellows will support our mission to deliver quality, cost-effective services to Texans. The ideal fellows are motivated graduate students (or recent graduates of a master’s level program) who thrive developing innovative solutions to solve complex problems and who want to make a positive difference in people’s lives. With several areas within MCS seeking fellows, there is an opportunity to tailor the fellowship to your passions and expertise while also getting a holistic understanding of the Medicaid program in Texas. We strive to foster a culture that enhances employee engagement and performance. As a fellow, you will participate in a formal program with a cohort of other fellows. Our program begins with an orientation focused on the services we offer, how we deliver those services and how we operate as a division. In addition to having a supervisor, you will meet with MCS leadership staff, be appointed a mentor, learn about cross-divisional projects, and work on substantive assignments. There are several areas of MCS in which fellows may be placed, including: Intellectual/ Developmental Disabilities Program Eligibility & Support: Determines diagnostic and functional eligibility and oversees enrollment in specific fee-for-service programs. Policy and Quality: Manages quality assurance tools, quality monitoring programs, incentive payment programs and all other performance improvement initiatives, and provides policy-related guidance to MCS leadership, managed care organizations, stakeholders, and other HHSC areas. Program Enrollment and Support: Helps Medicaid managed care members properly enroll in the correct managed care programs to avoid access to care issues, provides STAR +PLUS and STAR Kids program assistance and manages interest lists for Medicaid waiver programs. Vendor Drug Program: Manages the state Medicaid and CHIP formularies and provides statewide access to covered outpatient drugs for recipients enrolled in Medicaid, CHIP and certain non-Medicaid programs.

Requirements

Must be a graduate student or a recent graduate (within last 12 months) of a master’s or doctoral program.
Must be based in Austin, TX and/or available to work in person in Austin during the fellowship.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of or interest in: business operations, process improvement, project management, health and/or public policy
Skill in: clear writing and communication, including summarizing complex information in plain language, research, including data analysis and interpretation, computer use, including Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and Excel), Microsoft Teams and SharePoint, managing multiple and competing priorities
Ability to: analyze and interpret policies, procedures and regulations, gather, assemble, correlate and analyze facts using critical thinking, think creatively to solve problems, work independently and proactively, work in a team environment

Responsibilities

Developing processes for implementing new initiatives.
Organizing and tracking project timelines.
Reviewing and interpreting technical documentation.
Drafting, editing and proofreading memos, slide decks, talking points, correspondence and other materials using plain language.
Attending meetings with stakeholders and other HHSC staff.
Developing process improvements to modernize systems and streamline existing processes.
Researching state or federal legislation and Medicaid policies and summarizing technical language for a range of audiences.
Analyzing and interpreting data to support decision-making.
Other duties as assigned.