CHIPRA (AWSS) Upgrades in Eligibility in Effect in Advance of State Regulations

Date: 08/22/2009 Author: Neil Cronin

Even though the office of Medicaid has not yet published regulations on the
matter, under the provisions of the Children's Health Insurance Program
Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) various classes of AWSS immigrants (five year
barred immigrants) have been upgraded to better programs for health coverage. 
See the attached Eligibility Operations Memo 09-11.  The effective date of these
upgrades was August 28th.
Included in the upgrades were:
  • Five year barred AWSS children under the age of 19 with incomes under 150%
    FPL are upgraded from state-funded family assistance to full MassHealth
    Standard.
  • Five year barred AWSS children under age 19 with incomes between 150 and
    200% FPL get fully federally reimbursed Family Assistance instead of
    state-funded benefits.
  • Five year barred AWSS children under 19 between 200 and 300% FPL are
    upgraded from CMSP to federally reimbursed full family assistance benefits.
  • Five year barred AWSS pregnant women with incomes under 200% FPL are
    upgraded from the Healthy Start Program to full MassHealth Standard
    benefits.
Please let Vicky (ext 318) or Neil (ext 309) know if you have clients who
should have been upgraded but were not.  Remember, these upgrades have been made
effective August 28th, in advance of the final promulgation of CHIPRA
regulations.
 
Neil Cronin, Policy Analyst/Advocate
Massachusetts Law Reform
Institute
99 Chauncy Street, 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02111
617-357-0700
ext.309
Attachments to Download
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NC-CHIPRA Eligibility Operations Memo.pdf67.61 KB