Application backlog grew from December to January
states from kicking people off of Medicaid, even if they were no longer eligible. When that federal legislation expired in April 2023, states began reassessing people’s eligibility in a process called unwinding.
It’s beenthat staff has moved aggressively to reduce the number of applications in the queue. The good news is that the maximum wait for an application to be assigned to an eligibility worker has gone down – from 120 days in November to less than 40 days in December., there were 207,465 SNAP applications and 288,939 Medicaid applications waiting to be processed. As of Jan. 26, there were 18,173 more SNAP applications and 64,604 more Medicaid applications in the backlog, per data provided by HHSC spokespersonThough the current eligibility crisis is acute, HHSC has chronically failed to meet federal standards for timely processing of SNAP applications since at least 2021, two years before unwinding began, according to the joint caucus letter. Most Medicaid recipients in Texas are kids, and 65% of people kicked off Medicaid since last April were children. Prior to unwinding, it would have been difficult to directly compare how efficiently states automatically renew coverage, but as part of the process states have reported their “” renewal rates, meaning the percentage of applications that are renewed automatically based on data. Now, it’s clear that TexasThe joint caucus letter demanded an answer from HHSC on that point: Why does our system renew eligibility for so few people?the low renewal rate is a side effect of the state’s approach. During unwinding, Texas has reviewed applications from those most likely to no longer qualify first. “Not all states are distributing renewals in the same manner,” Young said.how states are handling unwinding and found 16 states are using a hybrid approach that involves frontloading applicants who are unlikely to qualify.Whatever the cause of Texas’ worst-in-the-nation ex parte renewal rate, the two caucuses want to understand it better. The December letter asked for an analysis on ex parte renewal, adding that HHSC should “quickly address the shortcomings identified in that analysis.” HHSC did not answer whether such an analysis is planned. The letter penned by the caucuses made several other demands, some of which HHSC met. One demand HHSC has so far refused sticks out: The letter called for HHSC to request a waiver from the federal Medicaid agency – Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services – to temporarily extend children’s Medicaid for kids in limbo during unwinding. When asked if HHSC had requested that waiver, Young said “no,” adding that HHSC “has implemented dozens of strategies to make the unwinding as smooth as possible for clients and eligibility staff.” Where does that leave us? Lawmakers in the two caucuses want to know “the full range of investments and policy changes needed to maintain a high-performing eligibility system,” per the letter. We asked HHSC what some of those investments and policy changes might be. Young answered that the 88th Legislature approved 25% salary increases for eligibility staff, plus more than 600 temporary staff to help with unwinding. “Hiring, training and retaining staff are long-term solutions to managing workload and reducing reliance on mandatory overtime,” Young said. “However, it takes a new eligibility adviser a year to be proficient with application processing and overtime is the most readily available tool to address workload quickly.”has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
4 Kids' Bedroom Ideas Even Your Child Will Think Are CoolThe website that Washington lives by.
Read more »
Texas lawmakers want to connect state’s ERCOT power grid to rest of the countryThe Connect the Grid Act would mandate Texas grid operator ERCOT to work with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for grid reliability.
Read more »
Texas makes top 10 list of most spoiled dogs in the US, study showsForbes Advisor recently ranked all 50 U.S. states and found that Texas ranks exceptionally high.
Read more »
West Texas driving accidents more fatal than state averageA nonprofit commissioned the report that found severe and fatal vehicle crashes in the Permian Basin far outpaced the state.
Read more »
BlockDAG Raises $1 Million in Presale and Announces $2 Million GiveawayCrypto Blog
Read more »
Schools May Be Underestimating How Many Kids Are HomelessSchool districts could be severely underestimating how many kids are homeless in their communities, allowing those children to fall through the cracks, a new study warns.
Read more »