Policy  Directive                                                    Issuance Number: MS 01-14

Medical Services Policy Manual                       Issuance Date: December 5, 2001

From: Joni Jones, Director                               Expiration Date: Until Superseded

Subj: Medicaid Renewals at Food Stamp QR and Midpoint Review

In order to both support caseworkers and to simplify continuing eligibility for clients in a multi-programmatic environment, the Food Stamp Quarterly Report (DCO-285) and Midpoint Review (DCO-244) forms are being revised so that the forms can be used to determine continuing eligibility for both Food Stamps and Medicaid. The name of the DCO-285 is being changed to Food Stamp Quarterly Report/Medicaid Renewal Form, and the DCO-244 is being changed to Food Stamp Midpoint/Medicaid Review.

Two questions are being added to both forms to facilitate the Medicaid renewal. These questions are:

1. Did you or someone else in your household receive, purchase, sell or transfer any land, houses or buildings?
2. If you receive Medicaid please tell us if you or someone else in your household have health insurance.

The forms will continue to be sent to Food Stamp households at the time of the household's quarterly report or midpoint review. As the Quarterly Report and Midpoints are processed, the caseworker can use these forms to determine continuing eligibility for Medicaid and if eligibility continues, update the reevaluation date for the Medicaid case. The Medicaid budget will be worked with the income verification submitted.

The new QR was sent to households beginning the end of November. When Medicaid renewals are completed as part of the QR, there will be no DCO-75 or DCO-975 generated and the case will never show up on WREV.

If the household doesn't return the QR and the Food Stamp case closes, the Medicaid case will remain open until the annual renewal is due, at which time a DCO-75 or DCO-975 will be generated. The Medicaid case will not be closed solely for failure to return the QR. Failure to return the QR will not generate any action on the part of the caseworker in regards to the Medicaid case. If they later reapply for Food Stamps, the Medicaid renewal should be completed at that time.

For ARKids cases, if the QR is returned and verification of income is not provided and the Food Stamp case closes, the declared income on the QR will be used to determine continuing eligibility for the ARKids case. If the household reapplies for Food Stamps, the ARKids renewal should be completed and the verified income will be used.

If there is a change reported on the QR that causes the family to be ineligible, and family members are not eligible in any other Medicaid category, the Medicaid case will be closed unless it is an ARKids B case. The standard ten-day advance notice is required before closure. Since ARKids B has continuous eligibility for one year, the ARKids B case will not be closed until the annual renewal is due. Therefore, the reevaluation date should not be updated on the ARKids B case so that the caseworker will know to close the case at the annual renewal if the household is still ineligible.

The new Midpoint Review form will be sent to households beginning in January. For Midpoint households, the DCO-75 will still be generated in the tenth month, but if the Midpoint can be received and reviewed before the twelfth month, separate Medicaid renewal forms will not be required. If the Midpoint is due before the Medicaid renewal, the caseworker should go ahead and process the Medicaid renewal in order to get the two periods aligned.

The QR and Midpoint Review forms are only to be used for Food Stamp households with Medicaid eligibles. For Medicaid only households, the appropriate Medicaid renewal forms will be used.

Inquiries to: Jack Tiner, 501-682-8259

Diana Teal, 501-682-1562

                    Carmen Brown, 501-682-8258

                    Cindy Gray, 501-682-8254