The Online Resource for Massachusetts Poverty Law Advocates

Blogs on MLS -- All Posts

Fwd: MassHealth Update - Friday, 3/24/17

Mon, 03/27/2017 - 11:01am -- Health-Law-Anno...

Please see the MassHealth alert below written in High Bureaucratese.  Apparently there was a glitch from an unspecified date that was detected in early March and fixed on March 17 affecting an unspecified number of people being redetermined or under deadlines to return verification documents that resulted in cases being closed without notice. 

The alert says that starting this week, MassHealth will be reinstating benefits back to the date of the no-notice closing and issuing new 14-day advance notices of termination. 

ALERT: DTA system is down statewide -- stay tuned for updates

Fri, 03/24/2017 - 1:55pm -- FoodSNAP

DTA has informed us that as of this morning BEACON (DTA's eligibility system) is down statewide. This means, for example, that workers cannot go in to look at case information or take other action on a case in the computer system.

DTA has added language to the Assistance Line that there is a statewide systems problem. They are also rescheduling all SNAP interviews that were scheduled today for Monday, and working on informing clients who had interviews scheduled today.

We will keep you all updated as we learn more.

Upcoming Immigrant/BenefitsTraining (3/30/17); Rescheduled SNAP 101 Training (4/4/17) and the 2017 Massachusetts SNAP Advocacy Guide on line !

Mon, 03/20/2017 - 4:46pm -- FoodSNAP

We have a couple of important events coming up for your calendars and the release of the SNAP Advocacy Guide!

Immigrant/Benefits Training: Thursday, March 30th in Boston:

Attached is a flier on the annual Immigrant/Benefits Training, Thursday March 30th from 9:30 to 4 PM.  To register, go to MCLE's website: http://www.mcle.org/product/catalog/code/2170141P01

March 30 Training on Immigrants & Public Benefits

Thu, 03/16/2017 - 4:01pm -- Health-Law-Anno...

Attached please find a flyer about this year's Basic Benefit Training on Immigrants and Public Benefits coming up soon on March 30 in Boston.

This year we have added a new "Know Your Rights" session to address the increased fears in the immigrant community related to removal & deportation, and also a new session on language access.

Reminder: SNAP Misfortune/Replacement Benefits in Response to Winter Storm Stella

Wed, 03/15/2017 - 1:40pm -- FoodSNAP

Are your clients still in the dark? According to the Mass Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) website, 14,847 MA household are still without power as of 12:45 PM today.  http://mema.mapsonline.net/public.html 

Other news sources yesterday reported between 40-70K households lost power in Massachusetts:

SNAP 101 Training Canceled due to Impending Winter Storm Stella; DTA Rescheduling Client Interviews; Reminder re SNAP Misfortune Benefits

Mon, 03/13/2017 - 4:56pm -- FoodSNAP

Winter is still with us, coming at us full throttle tomorrow AM.  Indeed the National Weather Service has already named it "Winter Storm Stella!"  

Here's a couple of updates related to tomorrow's snow storm:

1. Tomorrow's 3/14 SNAP 101 Training at MCLE is POSTPONED - (yes, again!)

We will announce a new SNAP 101 training date as soon as it is scheduled.

Preliminary Analysis of House Bill to Repeal & Replace the ACA

Mon, 03/13/2017 - 2:56pm -- Health-Law-Anno...

The Repeal & Replace terrain is shifting but attached and linked below are some sources on last week's proposed House bill for your snow-bound reading on Tuesday.

We've posted on masslegalservices.org and attached MLRI's preliminary analysis of the initial House bill to repeal and replace the ACA and how it may affect MassHealth & the Connector. 

Some good information on the Medicaid Per Capita Allotment proposal and how it may affect Massachusetts prepared for the BCBS Foundation is posted here:

Repeal & Replace: The American Health Care Act

Thu, 03/09/2017 - 1:46pm -- Health-Law-Anno...

Committees in the House have now released the long threatened bill to repeal & replace the Affordable Care Act.

The most draconian change would fundamentally restructure the Medicaid program by reducing federal reimbursement to states through a new funding mechanism called a Per Capita Allotment starting in 2020. This goes beyond repealing the ACA --it's repealing the federal commitment to the states when Medicaid was enacted 50 years ago!

And what about the coverage gains under the ACA?

Pages


Limit Offer