One of the lesser-known benefits of the federal health reform package is a $1.5 billion program to fund voluntary maternal, infant and early childhood home visits. In California, the Maternal Child and Adolescent Health Division of the Department of Public Health is taking the lead in the grant application process to draw down these federal funds and has launched a website with information about the program. The State Plan to administer the program is due in early 2011. [Download]
Summaries of select CalWORKs, CalFresh, Health and Housing Regulations
medi-cal
ACWDL 10-08: 2010 Statewide average private pay rate (APPR) for nursing facility services (4/30/10)
The 2010 statewide APPR for nursing facility services is $6311. The APPR is used to calculate the period of ineligibility for disqualifying transfers of nonexempt property for less than fair market value. Periods of ineligibility that began prior to 2010 are not updated with this new figure. The letter includes a chart of APPRs from 1990 to 2009, to calculate disqualifying transfers made by previously institutionalized beneficiaries. [Download]
ACIN I-39-10: Therapeutic Behavioral Services (4/29/10)
Information regarding the availability of Therapeutic Behavioral Services (TBS). TBS is included under Medi-Cal as an Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) supplemental service. This letter goes over the 9-point access plan and eligibility, and strongly encourages counties to actively work with their local mental health partners to facilitate access to these services for children and youth in foster care who need them. [Download]
ACWDL 10-07: Treatment of child support disregards for current, delayed, and arrearage payments received by the beneficiary (3/ 9/10)
All current, delayed, and arrearage non-exempt child support payments provided either voluntarily or by court order is to be considered unearned income. Child support is not considered to be a nonrecurring lump sum social insurance payment. The letter, which is a reminder and does not represent a procedure change, includes more details on disregards and child support for children over 18. [Download]
ACWDL 10-06: Suspension of Medi-Cal benefits for incarcerated juveniles (3/23/10)
SB 1147 requires the suspension of Medi-Cal, rather than the termination of Medi-Cal eligibility, for individuals under age 21 who were Medi-Cal beneficiaries at the time that they became inmates of a public institution. Effective January 1, 2010, SB 1147 requires restoration of Medi-Cal benefits on the day an eligible juvenile is no longer an inmate of a public institution. This letter details the process for suspending benefits; it includes case examples and NOAs. [Download]
ACWDL 10-05: PARIS update (1/21/10)
This letter updates information provided in ACWDL 09-41 regarding the Public Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS) Interstate match. Some of the updates are:
1) When DHCS discontinues a beneficiary as a result of the residency verification program and the discontinued beneficiary established residency for any other household member CWDs must review the case file and collect residency verification for the spouse and/or dependents as appropriate.
2) When DHCS discontinues a beneficiary as a result of the residency verification program and the beneficiary furnishes satisfactory residency verification within 30 days of the effective date of discontinuance, CWDs must reinstate eligibility for the discontinued beneficiary.
3) If the beneficiary furnishes satisfactory residency verification after 30 days of the effective date of discontinuance, CWDs must request that the discontinued beneficiary submit a new Statement of Facts and additional application materials as necessary. CWDs must also request that the discontinued beneficiary submit an explanation for the receipt of public assistance benefits in another state and retain the explanation in the case file. [Download]