As of April 1, 2026, NJ FamilyCare (Medicaid) covers community-based palliative care for eligible members living with serious illness.
GOCCNJ is committed to supporting providers, educating communities, and ensuring that this new benefit delivers on its promise — helping patients with serious illness get the care they need and no less, and the care they want and no more.
New Jersey has taken an important step in expanding access to supportive care for people living with serious illness.
What is the New Benefit?
NJ FamilyCare members with serious illness (adult and pediatric patients) are provided care from a specialized team in addition to their regular doctor to manage symptoms and stress of serious illness and help them navigate the healthcare system.
This program does not require a terminal prognosis or stopping curative treatment, unlike hospice.
It is designed to provide access to crucial support services to improve quality of life.
Who Is It For?
This benefit is for NJ FamilyCare members (adult and pediatric patients) who:
Are living with a serious illness*
*Examples of serious illness (not an exhaustive list) include: Advanced heart, lung, liver, kidney disease, cancer, dementias and neurological disease
Show evidence of reduced quality of life, including:
- Experiencing difficulty with 1+ activity of daily living**
- Two or more emergency department visits in the past six months
- One (1) hospitalization in the past year
**Activities of daily living include: bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring/mobility, continence, feeding/eating
Now is a critical moment to educate and support your community.
With the launch of the new Medicaid benefit benefit for community-based palliative care, GOCCNJ is offering the Equity in Serious Illness Program for a limited number of free, in-person sessions for community-based organizations.
Why this matters now
Most people:
- have never heard of palliative care
- don’t know it can help them feel better and stay at home
- wait too long to ask for support
What we provide
- Live, in-person presentation led by a trained GOCCNJ Ambassador
- Free educational materials for all participants (multiple languages available)
- Support with planning and promotion
Simple to host
You provide the space—we handle the rest. Schedule your free program today!
No cost. High impact. Immediate value for your community.
Schedule your free program today!
RESOURCES
Palliative Care Directory
Find palliative care providers in NJ
Palliative care at-a-glance
Quick info on palliative care
4Step iCarePlan
Simple approach to help making difficult medical decisions
POLST Form
Informs healthcare providers about the types of medical treatment a patient would like to receive