SB00852 Summary

• Establishes a presumptive Medicaid eligibility system allowing up to 90 days of state-funded home-care services for elderly applicants determined likely to be financially eligible for Medicaid while their applications are being processed, effective July 1, 2015

• Requires the Department of Social Services to develop a preliminary screening tool and authorize access agencies to initiate services within 5 days of functional eligibility determination, with presumptive financial eligibility determination within 4 days and final Medicaid determination within 45 days of application

• Permits retroactive application of final Medicaid eligibility determinations for up to 90 days before an applicant's Medicaid application date, to the extent permitted under federal law

• Requires annual reporting to the General Assembly including data on persons diverted from institutional care, numbers screened and presumptively eligible, cost savings analysis, and comparisons between different contracts

• Modifies related statutes governing long-term care insurance precertification, continuing care facilities, and home care programs for persons with disabilities to align with the new presumptive eligibility system