Initial Guidance on Short-Term Negative Action for MAGI Medi-Cal Cases

DHCS is providing counties initial guidance on dealing with MAGI Medi-Cal cases where all individuals on the case need to be denied or terminated from the program.  The letter outlines five steps:

  1. Counties will identify pending and active cases that should be denied or terminated where all members on the case are MAGI Medi-Cal within three priority areas: duplicate applications, failure to complete redetermination, and failure to complete determination.
  2. SAWS will receive the county lists and send them to CalHEERS.
  3. SAWS or MEDS will take negative action through a backend data fix.
  4. SAWS will generate and send NOAs.
  5. CalHEERS will take negative action using a backend data fix.

The letter includes a list of negative actions (Attachment A) and an overview of the different systems (Atttachment B).  DHCS MEDIL I 14-56

Medi-Cal Efforts to Deal with Individuals Pending in the Application Backlog

This letter notifies counties of the DHCS-required process for reducing the pending backlog of Medi-Cal cases.   DHCS will cull through lists for a preliminary determination of eligibility, which counties will then evaluate by December 1.  DHCS will then start granting preliminary eligibility coverage included on these lists.  DHCS MEDIL I 14-55, 14-55 E

New video for IHSS providers and recipients on timesheet changes in 2015

CDSS has made available a new online video, available in English, Spanish, Armenian and Chinese, that demonstrates how providers are to document overtime and travel time that will be compensable beginning January 1, 2015. The video explains the compensation and reimbursement changes related to SB 855 and SB 873 and explains proper use of several new related forms, including the revised time sheet and the new travel claim form. ACIN I-65-14.

Changes to how counties will calculate CalWORKs participation hours

Beginning July 1, 2014, counties must determine whether or not a CalWORKs recipient has met his or her hourly participation obligations by using a weekly average per month rather than a weekly minimum number of hours. Workers should (1) add up the total number of participation hours in all CalWORKs activities for the month, (2) divide by 4.33 and (3) round to the nearest whole number. Counties should no longer use weekly minimums, thus allowing recipients more flexibility in a given month to reach the required participation hours total. ACL 14-80.