An additional $2.5 million in federal Medicaid money is available to Maine for health care programs for children if the state can find the necessary 24 percent state match.

The money comes from a reallocation of federal funds to 12 states that have used their money.

But at a time when Maine lawmakers are scrambling to find a way to plug a $200 million-plus state budget deficit, finding match money and ways to spend the new money appropriately will be difficult.

“It’s a good sort of a challenge,” said Department of Human Services Commissioner Kevin Concannon. “We don’t have a source for the 24 percent at this point because we’ve got our hands full financially.”

Concannon said DHS had expected a larger amount as part of the reallocation, and he couldn’t say how the department would proceed until he sees details from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The award was announced to the media Tuesday by U.S. Rep. John Baldacci, D-Maine.

Even without more details, Concannon said department officials had been kicking around the idea of using the one-time money to screen children for lead poisoning and perhaps help with reducing lead risks at certain homes. That would be one good use for the funds that would reduce one health problem without creating an infrastructure that would require additional funding later, he said.

If the matching money can be found, Maine would have to spend the money completely by Sept. 30, 2002.