Connecticut wrongly revokes couple's Medicaid benefits | Hartford ...

With growing life expectancy rates and strained government budgets, our Connecticut readers would be wise to prepare for what comes after retirement rather than trusting the social safety net.

Nowadays, people retire in their 50s and 60s, but often live into their 80s and 90s. To make sure their long-term care needs are in order, individuals and couples should evaluate their finances, protect their assets and put together a spending plan that will prevent them from depleting their assets during retirement.

Just ask a Connecticut couple who lost their Medicaid benefits recently because Connecticut did not process their routine eligibility review within a reasonable period. The couple sent in the review on time, but were told months later -- and without an opportunity to challenge the decision -- that they were no longer eligible for Medicaid benefits. Worse, their benefits had been canceled prior to their receipt of the rejection letter.

Worried about not being able to get medication for the husband's high blood pressure, the couple retained legal services, which resulted in the couple's reinstatement to the Connecticut Medicaid rolls. This sort of thing happens regularly; indeed, thousands may have received similar treatment, according to some estimates.

Why? Because of limited staff, the Department of Social Services routinely struggles to keep up with the required paperwork. In turn, the agency's computer system often interprets the backlog as meaning the status of people who were not timely renewed as terminated.

When Medicaid recipients try to challenge the improper revocation of benefits, it can be difficult to even get in touch with caseworkers due the number of cases they are assigned and messages they receive.

Source: Hartford Courant, "State backlog wrongly bounces recipient off Medicaid," William Weir, June 18, 2012

Source: http://www.connecticutelderlawblog.com/2012/06/connecticut-wrongly-revokes-couples-medicaid-benefits.shtml

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