Gov. Edwards announced the creation of a work training program for Medicaid recipients. He joined Dr. Rebekah Gee, secretary of the Louisiana Dept. of Health (LDH) and Louisiana Delta Community College Chancellor Dennis Epps to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to officially create a collaborative pilot work training initiative between LDCC in Monroe and LDH. The overall goal of the pilot is to develop a work training promotion program model that can be customized by communities across Louisiana.

“We are excited to be able to announce this pilot program that will build on the existing success of the State’s Medicaid Expansion efforts,” said Gov. Edwards. “It offers a practical and Louisiana-specific approach to connect expansion recipients to viable training opportunities that will lead to better jobs and better-earning potential. Creating a program that is helpful but not punitive is something we have consistently been working on. State lawmakers came together and spoke loud and clear on this issue. And with the recent court decisions against the faulty design of similar programs in other states, we are even more convinced that this is the correct path to take. I want to thank everyone who has made this possible and especially Rep. Katrina Jackson and Representative Frank Hoffman for their leadership and guidance in this effort.”

The pilot will include two LDCC campuses – the main campus in Monroe and the campus in the city of West Monroe. The first invitations to participate will be distributed this summer and will continue throughout the year. The pilot will be implemented in two stages, and the time participants will have to complete the program depends on which course of study they select. A total of five training programs will be offered:

Certified Nurse Assistant (CAN)/Behavioral Health Technician (239 Hours); Commercial Vehicle Operations (CVO) (160 Hours); Environmental Services Technician (120 Hours); Forklift & OSHA 10 (Wagner Special) (24 hours); Mortgage Documents Specialist (18 Hours)