STATE OF ALASKA

Department of Health and Social Services

Division of Public Assistance

TRANSMITTAL NUMBER:   MC #9

MANUAL:  Aged, Disabled and Long Term Care Medicaid Eligibility Manual

DATE:  July 15, 2008

We have updated program standards to reflect changes for 2008 and added a new addendum to describe Working Disabled Medicaid Buy-in Procedures.  We have also made numerous technical changes.  

Highlights of these policy revisions are described below.  If you have any questions please contact the Policy and Program Development Team at 465-3347 or email dpapolicy@alaska.gov.

OVERVIEW OF CHANGES

MS 507  Estate Recovery

• Removes the name of Public Consulting Group (PCG).  This organization no longer helps to administer the Estate Recovery program.

MS 520-D  Disability Determinations

• Changes the cross reference from Administrative Procedures MS 105-12 to MS 115-9.

MS 523-D  Cost of Care Determination

• Clarifies that Senior Benefits Payments are countable in the cost-of-care determination.

MS 533-C  Referral and Interagency Communications

MS 533-D  Case processing

MS 533-E   TEFRA Reviews

• Removes Arbitre Consulting as a contracted care coordination agency for disabled child at home ( TEFRA ) determinations.  DSDS now does the ICAP evaluations previously done by Arbitre Consulting.

• Clarifies the role of the Division’s Long Term Care Coordinator in the administration of TEFRA cases.

MS 534  Working Disabled Medicaid Buy-In.

• Adds a cross reference to new Addendum 8 on Working Disabled Medicaid Buy-in Procedures.

MS 554-K  Annuities

• Adds a note to clarify that transfer of asset provisions do not apply to revocable and/or assignable annuities.

MS 554-L  Transfer Penalty and Partial Months.

• Updates the email address for Division of Senior and Disability Services in MS 554-L(7).

MS 580-D  Low-Income Subsidy ( LIS ) Program

• Updates this section to reflect 2008 resource limits for low-income subsidy (extra help) categories.

• Removes information about LIS subsidy  benchmark amounts for Alaska and a cross reference to new table in Addendum 1 that includes this information.

Addendum 1  Program Standards

• Updates Federal Poverty Guidelines for Alaska that became effective March 1, 2008.

• Adds information about maximum Low Income Subsidy amounts for Alaska.

• Updates Pickle Amendment Table for 2008.

Addendum 6  Medicare Part D Low Income Subsidy Guide

• Updates Low Income Subsidy resource limits for 2008.

Addendum 8  Working Disabled Medicaid Buy-In Procedures

• Provides information about processing procedures for Working Disabled Medicaid Buy-In cases.