In New York, most recipients of Medicaid Home Care or Community Medicaid must re-certify for their Medicaid services annually. The re-certification is how the Medicaid program verifies that the recipient is alive, and remains eligible for benefits.

For this reason, Medicaid requires proof of the recipient’s current resources, income, and payment of health insurance premiums. Medicaid will send the recipient a renewal packet by mail prior to the recipient’s re-certification date. This packet will let the recipient know if there are other methods available to him or her for re-certification such as phone or internet renewal.

When a Medicaid recipient is using a Pooled Income Trust to protect surplus income, proper documentation regarding the trust will also be required to re-certify. The documentation that must be provided to Medicaid should include copies of the trust, the original joinder letter, the approval letter, and a verification of deposits from the pooled income trust entity. The verification of deposits will show that the Medicaid recipient has been depositing their surplus monthly income into the trust account.

The re-certification process can be complicated and overwhelming for many Medicaid recipients and their family members. If you are not sure what is needed to re-certify for Medicaid for yourself or your loved one, then you should speak with a qualified professional to ensure the re-certification is done correctly and the benefits are not lost.

By Eric J. Einhart-Guest Blogger