Per Federal law, DHCS is to provide all Medi-Cal beneficiaries with minimum essential coverage (MEC) a Form 1095-B on or before January 31 following the end of each tax year. This information is also reported to the IRS electronically, as are any updates. Beneficiaries are entitled to reprints upon request. In this letter, DHCS provides a list of Medi-Cal programs and codes that are and are not considered MEC.
The letter outlines the responsibilities of various entities for providing assistance with 1095-B issues and reprints. SSI/SSP-linked beneficiaries should be able to contact the County. MCAP participants can contact Maximus, the contracting program responsible for 1095-B forms. Counties will have access to a new MEDS screen to review 1095-B status and history. All county workers are responsible to assist beneficiaries with 1095-B issues.
DHCS is using a modified 1095-B form to protect beneficiary information. These forms are not required for tax filing, but should be kept as a record of eligibility. If there is missing or erroneous information, DHCS will send notices requesting action; beneficiaries would then contact the county to review the information. Forms and notices will be sent to the last known address, and the letter describes processes to deal with returned mail.
DHCS ACWDL 17-30 (August 15, 2017).