Data as of December 2009. Joint renewal indicates that the same renewal form is used for children's Medicaid and CHIP. In a number of states, separate Medicaid and CHIP renewal forms can be used to determine eligibility for both programs, however for the purpose of this data, joint renewal indicates that the same form is used for the both programs.
"Regular" Medicaid refers to coverage under Medicaid eligibility standards for children in place prior to CHIP; states receive "regular" Medicaid matching payments as opposed to enhanced CHIP matching payments for these children.

A Foundation for Health Reform: Findings of a 50 State Survey of Eligibility Rules, Enrollment and Renewal Procedures, and Cost-Sharing Practices in Medicaid and CHIP for Children and Parents During 2009. Data based on a national survey conducted by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities for the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, December 2009. Available at http://www.kff.org/medicaid/7855.cfm. 2009 HHS Poverty Guidelines: http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/09poverty.shtml.

CHIP: Children's Health Insurance Program.
Aligned Medicaid and separate CHIP: Indicates the number of states that have adopted a particular enrollment simplification strategy and have applied the procedure to both their children’s Medicaid program and their CHIP-funded separate program. States that have used CHIP funds to expand Medicaid exclusively are considered “aligned” if the simplified procedure applies to children in the “regular” Medicaid program and the CHIP-funded expansion program.
NA: Not Applicable because state does not have separate CHIP program.