SR 05-09 Dated 02/05

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

INTER-DEPARTMENT COMMUNICATION

 

SIGNATURE DATE:

January 26, 2005

FROM:

OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR Terry R. Smith

AT (OFFICE):

Division of Family Assistance

TO:

DFA Supervisors

District Office Manager of Operations

 

SUBJECT:

Phase 3 of the Centralization of Healthy Kids Gold-Only Cases, Medical Coverage for Pregnant Women-Only Cases, and Cases That Are Open for Both Healthy Kids Gold and Silver, from the Portsmouth and Keene District Offices to the Central Healthy Kids District Office

EFFECTIVE DATE:

February 1, 2005

 

 

SUMMARY

 

This SR releases the procedures for Phase 3 of the centralization of the processing of Healthy Kids Gold-only (HKG-only) cases and/or Medical Coverage for Pregnant Women-only (MCPW-only) cases, and cases that are open for both Healthy Kids Gold and Silver, at the Central Healthy Kids District Office (CHK DO).

 

Phase 3 of the centralization will involve the following District Offices:

 

·   Portsmouth; and

·   Keene.

 

HKG cases, MCPW cases, and HKG/HKS combination cases that are open for other programs such as cash, food stamps, Foster Care, Child Care, Adoption Subsidies, Refugee Assistance, or any type of medical assistance including In and Out and MEAD, will continue to be processed at the District Office applicable to the client’s place of residence. HK Gold cases managed by the DCYF Fiscal Specialists and cases that involve a child in a nursing home are not being transferred to the CHK DO.

 

PROCEDURES FOR THE TWO DISTRICT OFFICES THAT HAVE NOT YET BEEN CENTRALIZED

PROCEDURES FOR PORTSMOUTH AND KEENE’S CENTRALIZATION WITH CHK DO

·   HKG and MCPW mail-in applications sent to the CHK DO involving clients who live in the Salem and Claremont catchment area will continue to be transferred to the appropriate DO for processing and case management.

·   HKG and MCPW mail-in applications involving households in the Portsmouth or Keene catchment area will now be processed and maintained at the CHK DO as long as the application is for HKG or MCPW, or a combination case involving HKS, and involves no other DFA cash or medical assistance program.

·   HKG and MCPW mail-in applications sent to Salem or Claremont will continue to be processed and maintained on-site at that DO.

·   HKG and MCPW mail-in applications sent to Portsmouth or Keene DOs must be transferred to the CHK DO within 2 days for processing and case management as long as the application is for HKG or MCPW, or a combination case involving HKS, and involves no other DFA cash or medical assistance program.

 

POLICY

 

Effective February 1, 2005, the CHK DO will begin processing all Healthy Kids Gold-only cases, Medical Coverage for Pregnant Women-only cases, and cases that are open for both Gold and Silver Healthy Kids medical coverage, from the Portsmouth and Keene District Offices.

 

Phase 3 of the Centralization

 

The New HEIGHTS transfer of the electronic HKG-only, MCPW-only, and HKG/HKS combination case records from the Portsmouth and Keene DOs to the CHK DO will occur the evening of January 31, 2005.

 

Note: Cases will not be transferred in pending status. HKG, MCPW, and HKG/HKS combination cases that are in pending status at the time of the New HEIGHTS electronic transfer must be processed by the pertinent DO and, once opened for assistance, transferred to CHK when it is determined that no other DFA cash or medical assistance program is involved.

 

PROCEDURES FOR THE DISTRICT OFFICES INVOLVED IN PHASE 3

 

New Applications

 

As of January 17, 2005, CHK began retaining and processing new HKG-only, MCPW-only, and HKG/HKS combination applications from the Portsmouth and Keene catchment areas.

 

New HKG-only, MCPW-only, and HKG/HKS combination applications received in Portsmouth and Keene DOs as of the above date, must be forwarded to the CHK DO within 2 days to ensure timely delivery of benefits.

 

§   Perform an Inquiry before mailing new applications to the CHK DO to ensure that the individual is not open for another program.

§   If during the initial application the individual was denied for other DFA medical or cash assistance programs but the application is still pending for HKG, MCPW, or HKG/HKS, do not transfer the case to CHK until the case has actually opened and is no longer in pending status.

 

Recipient Case Management

 

§   Currently open HKG-only, MCPW-only, and HKG/HKS combination cases in the Portsmouth and Keene DOs will be electronically transferred to CHK the evening of January 31, 2005. CHK DO staff will assume responsibility for case management and service delivery for all centralized cases on February 1, 2005.

§   January redeterminations must be processed prior to the transfer.

 

Green Eligibility Case Files

 

For efficiency, the green eligibility case files will remain at the current DOs and only electronic case transfers will occur. Further information will be released under separate cover.

 

Client Mail Received During the Transition

 

Prior to February 1, 2005, mail received in the Portsmouth or Keene DOs related to any of the cases being transferred to CHK DO must be delivered to the current FSS handling the case.

 

February mail-in redeterminations and mail received after January 31, 2005 must be sent via interoffice mail to CHK within 2 days of receipt to ensure timely delivery of benefits.

 

Transferring Client Cases

 

As of January 12, 2005

 

Portsmouth and Keene DOs stopped sending HK Silver-only green eligibility case files to CHK.

 

As of February 1, 2005

 

Open HKG-only, MCPW-only, and HKG/HKS combination cases from Portsmouth and Keene will be electronically transferred to CHK.

 

IMPLEMENTATION

 

Responsibility for case management, eligibility, and related service delivery will continue to reside with DFA staff in the Portsmouth and Keene DOs until January 31, 2005. CHK DO staff will assume responsibility for case management and service delivery for all centralized cases on February 1, 2005.

 

CLIENT NOTIFICATION

 

Two client mailings were generated in January to cases in the Portsmouth and Keene DOs affected by the centralization. The first mailing to approximately 250 cases due for a redetermination in February was mailed to clients on January 19, 2005. The second mailing to the remaining 2,000 cases being centralized was mailed to clients on January 21, 2005. The client letters are attached for reference.

 

TRAINING

 

The transition procedures were addressed at the Administrative Supervisors’ meeting on January 18, 2005.

 

DISPOSITION

 

This SR may be destroyed or deleted after its contents have been noted and the SR has been posted to the On-line manual.

 

DISTRIBUTION

 

This SR will be distributed according to the electronic distribution list for Division of Family Assistance policy releases. This SR will be available for agency staff in the On-Line Manual Library, and for public access on the Internet, at http://www.dhhs.nh.gov/DHHS/DFA/LIBRARY, effective February 28, 2005.

 

This SR will be distributed under separate cover to all hard copy holders of the Family Assistance manual.

 

DFA/JLH:s