Frequently Asked Questions are used to provide additional information and/or statutory guidance not found in State Medicaid Director Letters, State Health Official Letters, or CMCS Informational Bulletins. The different sets of FAQs as originally released can be accessed below.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Federal data services hub is utilizing the same Department of Homeland Security (DHS) SAVE verification service currently available to states. States will receive both the verification data received from SAVE as well as the Federal data services hub-derived indicators of lawful presence, qualified non-citizen status, and whether the five year bar has been met where applicable.
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Each federal agency has the authority to define use of its data. Therefore CMS defers to IRS, DHS and SSA who are partnering with us to provide data via the Federal data services hub. Please refer to the CMS Services Catalog to review the Business Service Description (BSD) for the verification of income service to identify the Federal tax information data elements and definitions that will be made available to states through the Federal data services hub.
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Enhanced Medicaid funding for Eligibility & Enrollment (E&E) activities is available from the approval of an Advanced Planning Document (APD). An ongoing Medicaid administrative match at the 50% rate is available for activities that take place prior to an approved E&E APD, as long as the activities fall within the purview of administering the Medicaid program (42 CFR 433.15). Funding is available ongoing, subject to APD approvals. More information is available in the State Medicaid Director Letter on Enhanced Funding dated March 31, 2016 (SMD# 16-004), to be found at https://www.medicaid.gov/federal-policy-guidance/federal-policy-guidance.html.
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The twenty-two standards and conditions are listed in the Medicaid Program; Mechanized Claims Processing and Information Retrieval Systems (90/10) rule issued on 12/4/2015. See https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2015/12/04/2015-30591/medicaid-program-mechanized-claims-processing-and-information-retrieval-systems-9010.
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The requirements of Circular OMB-A-87 apply to the allocation of costs for design, development, and implementation (DDI) and maintenance and operations (M&O) of eligibility and enrollment (E&E) systems including the respective benefiting health insurance affordability programs: Medicaid, CHIP (for states that have separate Title XXI programs or for portions of separate CHIP programs in states that operate a combination CHIP/Medicaid program) and to CCIIO Grant Funding if the project will include functionality for Health Insurance Exchanges.
States can request the temporary exception to Circular OMB-A-87 requirements to use Medicaid enhanced funding for DDI costs of shared eligibility services that will benefit other human service programs (SNAP, TANF, childcare, and child welfare). The exception does not apply to M&O costs, and therefore states must cost allocate to benefiting programs for these costs. For more information, please see the State Medicaid Director Letter, dated July 20, 2015, at https://www.medicaid.gov/federal-policy-guidance/downloads/smd072015.pdf.
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In zONE, states can find business process models, templates for concepts of operations, and other planning and development artifacts, business and technical requirements, Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Statements of Work (SOWs), system design documents, etc. CMS Eligibility & Enrollment (E&E) state leads are available to discuss and assist states in finding the right artifacts in the zONE collaboration spaces. Your SOTA team and your E&E state lead are available to answer specific questions about what might be available soon that is not already in the CALT.
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An assessment for IV&V analysis of a state's E&E system development effort will be required for APD projects that meet any of the criteria contained in federal regulations at 45 CFR 95.626(a). If CMS determines that the IV&V analysis is required for a state's system development effort, the provisions contained in federal regulations at 45 CFR 95.626(b) and (c) apply. Additional guidance is available in the Medicaid E&E Toolkit, available at https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/data-systems/medicaid-eligibility-enrollment-toolkit.
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Medicaid Budget Expenditure System/Children's Budget Expenditure System (MBES/CBES) has been modified to add new Medicaid Eligibility Determination System lines to the 64.10 Form series beginning with Quarter Ending March 31, 2011:
- 28A - DDI of Medicaid E&E systems/cost of in house activities - 90% FFP
- 28B - DDI of Medicaid E&E systems cost of private sector contractors - 90% FFP
- 28C - Operation of an approved Medicaid E&E system/cost of in-house activities - 75 % FFP
- 28D - Operation of an approved Medicaid E&E system/cost private sector contractors- 75% FFP
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The section 1115 waiver authority continues and whether a particular waiver continues will vary by State. CMS has been working with States individually to determine the appropriate waivers and expenditure authorities that will be extended beyond December 31, 2013. For example, States that have utilized demonstrations to expand eligibility to the childless adult population will no longer need the expenditure authority because this population will become a mandatory State plan population under the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid eligibility expansion. On the other hand, States that have utilized demonstrations to undertake delivery system reforms may still require waivers and/or expenditure authorities to execute those reforms beyond December 31, 2013.
CMS will work with States to develop and submit the transition plans that are required by the Special Terms and Conditions of each demonstration. These transition plans will serve as a vehicle for discussion of the various options that States will have in 2014 and beyond, including for populations with incomes above 133 percent of the Federal poverty level (FPL). CMS will engage with States during State Operations and Technical Assistance (SOTA) calls to work through State-specific transition issues.
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The SOTA calls cannot replace the submission of a transition plan, as the plan is a required deliverable under the State's Special Terms and Conditions. However, we expect to use the SOTA calls as a platform for transition planning discussions. We are also available for additional calls with States as needed. We can accept as the State's required early deliverable, a summary of the issues that the State needs to address in the transition plan, given the specific features of its waiver and plans for 2014. We will work with States in subsequent months to fully develop the transition plan to ensure it is in place in time for 2014.