Beginning July 1, federal legislation will require all Medicaid recipients to present identification that proves they are American citizens. But, while the deadline is less than two weeks away, local agencies still have questions about what forms of ID recipients will need to provide.
“We’re not quite sure how that is going to filter out on a state or local level,” says Sue Moffett, chief of the division of benefit programs for Charlottesville’s Department of Social Services (DSS). Though she says she’s confident client service won’t be disrupted, she is concerned about potentially overloading her staff. At Albemarle’s DSS, Assistant Director John Freeman shares that concern. “Workers who are already working heavy loads will have additional processing requirements put on them.”
Currently there are more than 9,000 Medicaid recipients in both City and County, who in the past have signed a declaration of citizenship. Under the new law, however, applicants will need to present either a federally issued document—such as a passport, certificate of naturalization, or certificate of citizenship—or a birth certificate with another form of identification that has yet to be specified.
DSS might already have requisite documentation on hand for some clients, but in many instances, Medicaid recipients will need to track down birth certificates or other documentation. Local agencies are preparing to assist with that task. “It will increase the workload, but we want to make sure people keep Medicaid,” says Moffett. “We’re not anticipating that our clients in great numbers will have passports,” says Freeman, who is particularly concerned about finding documentation for children and nursing home elderly.
Because of the opacity of the new requirements, Charlottesville’s DSS is working overtime to do annual reviews of as many cases as possible before the July 1 deadline. “We’re just really concerned that people will be afraid to ask questions about the documentation needed to prove identity.”—Will Goldsmith
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Medicaid recipients must soon prove citizenship
Beginning July 1, federal legislation will require all Medicaid recipients to present identification that proves they are American citizens. But, while the deadline is less than two weeks away, local agencies still have questions about what forms of ID recipients will need to provide.