Pandemic-Era Medicaid Is About To End…
During the pandemic, DHS eased its ongoing eligibility reviews of Medicaid recipients. However, the recently enacted Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 sets a deadline of April 1, 2023, for DHS to reinstate its eligibility controls.
Usually, DHS would send out annual notices and informational requests as part of their eligibility process. During the pandemic, that process basically stopped.
Starting next month, DHS will begin that process again. The Medicaid recipient had better respond or risk losing program benefits.
According to DHS’ website, “Renewals will take place over 12 months, and no one will be dis-enrolled without having a chance to complete a renewal.”
What should you do? Renew… using one of the following ways:
Contact your Elder Law Attorney: If you have not filed for Medicaid, start off the right way by having an Elder Law atttorney file your medicaid application for you. If you have already done so, communicate with them to ensure that your estate planning scenario is current and accurate, before you try renewing.
By mail: Complete and return the forms by mailing them back in the provided envelope.
Online: Complete your renewal online at COMPASS (www.dhs.pa.gov).
Telephone: Call 1-866-550-4355.
In person: Visit any local County Assistance Office
If you have not done Medicaid Planning with an Elder Law attorney, this could be the beginning of what could potentially be a long journey.
In a pre-COVID world, certain types of transaction would be penalized by DHS, which could result in a loss of Medicaid benefits. DHS, bound to federal law, requires the penalizing of certain transaction by a Medicaid recipient or applicant without there being a specific exemption to permit it.
We will have to wait and see how DHS proceeds with these penalties and exemptions moving forward.
This article is a service of Legally Remote, PLLC, your North-Central Florida Personal Family Lawyer®. We do not just draft documents; we ensure you make informed and empowered decisions about life and death, for yourself and the people you love. That's why we offer a Legacy Planning Session™, during which you will get more financially organized than you’ve ever been before and make all the best choices for the people you love.