This blog post is guest written by Tony Loaiza, Entitlement Manager at CenterLight. Below, he addresses frequently asked questions about Medicaid renewal and the renewal assistance that CenterLight Teamcare provides to our participants.
Every year, all Medicaid recipients must renew their Medicaid. As an Entitlement Manager at CenterLight Teamcare, my role is to make sure our participants’ Medicaid renewal forms are in order and help submit them to the Medicaid office. On this blog post, I will answer common questions about the Medicaid renewal process.
Why do I have to renew my medicaid?
In New York State, Medicaid recipients are required to renew their Medicaid annually. This is because information that determines eligibility, such as your income level and resources, may change from year to year.
Additionally, note that each of the other benefits you receive are on different timelines for renewal—such as, Social Security Income (SSI), Public Assistance (PA), Section 8 housing, and food stamps. Unfortunately the recertification process for these different benefits is not connected with the others, so you have to recertify each benefit independently.
What happens If you forget to renew your Medicaid?
If you are a Medicaid recipient but not a part of Teamcare or another managed long-term care program, forgetting to renew your Medicaid may result to losing your Medicaid and services.
How do I renew my Medicaid?
Look out for a renewal packet in the mail. The packet may come about 60 days prior to your renewal date from the New York State Department of Health, Human Resources Administration (HRA), or Local Department of Social Services (LDSS), depending on how you signed up. It is important to note the date when you have to submit the renewal—this can be found in the packet along with a renewal form and instructions on how to renew.
Answer all questions in the renewal form as completely and accurately as you can. Once the form is completed, you can return it in the postmarked envelope that came in the renewal packet, or have a social worker submit it on your behalf. Important information such as the web address, phone number and address where you can send your application (whichever is applicable) will also be listed in the packet.
Since receiving the renewal packet is key, you need to make sure that your address on record at the Medicaid office is always updated. Notify them right away of any changes in residence or other information such as change in your legal name, DOB (if there is a discrepancy), and/or phone number.
What does the medicaid renewal process look like for Teamcare participants?
Because CenterLight works directly with the Medicaid office, we are able to cut out the middleman, save time, and eliminate any risk of Teamcare participants losing their Medicaid.
For participants of Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), Medicaid renewal is processed through the Human Resources Administration (HRA). Before the HRA begins sending out renewal packets, CenterLight Teamcare gets an alert from the Medicaid office that one or more of our participants need to have their Medicaid recertified. CenterLight then sends a letter to the participant 90 days before the application is due, and again at 60 days until the application is due. The letter from CenterLight reminds the participant to look out for the renewal packet in the mail and to let their dedicated social worker know when they receive it. The social worker then assists the participant in preparing the application documents at least a month before the application is due.
We also understand that sometimes our participants receive confusing letters. We encourage our participants to let us know and we will help fix any issues by providing necessary documentation. This process helps ensure that there are no gaps in their coverage or services.
We also can print out an application if our participants happen to lose theirs or did not receive one in the mail.
important reminders:
This process is for New York City only. Counties such as Westchester, Suffolk, and Nassau have a different recertification application and process. When our participants reside in those counties and need to renew their Medicaid, LDSS sends the package 30 days before it’s due because the county office receives a smaller volume of applications. Unlike the NYC package, it must be received directly and does not have an online print out option.
H3329_2019_BLOGMedicaidRenewal Approved 09202019
Last updated August 16, 2019
About the writer:
Tony Loaiza has worked at CenterLight for many years.
