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2007 Session

Budget Amendments - HB1650 (Member Request)

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Chief Patron: Hamilton
Development of Systems to Verify Citizenship (language only)

Item 278 #4h

Item 278 #4h

Health And Human Resources
Health and Human Resources, Secretary of

Language
Page 2886, after line 15, insert:
"D.  The Secretary of Health and Human Resources shall work with the Departments of Medical Assistance Services, Health, Social Services and Motor Vehicles to expedite the development of electronic system for verifying the citizenship and identity of applicants for medical assistance services and to enable caseworkers to electronically access information necessary for eligibility purposes."


Explanation
(This amendment requires the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to coordinate and expedite technology improvements to verify citizenship of applicants for the state's Medicaid program and to enable caseworkers to electronically access information necessary for eligibility purposes. New federal law requires most Medicaid applicants and recipients to provide documentation of their U.S. Citizenship and their identity. The federal regulations that implement the new law have resulted in delays in application processing, lower enrollment and large backlogs in applications. While Virginia agencies have worked to streamline procedures to ease the verification of documentation, the procedures remain cumbersome requiring considerable extra paper transactions. Further, the new requirements have revealed gaps in the ability of Virginia agencies to use technology to share information.)