General Info
- If you are not sure if a family is eligible for Medicaid they should still fill out the application and leave the decision up to the eligibility workers.
- Non-disabled children, pregnant mothers, and parents should apply for the FMC (Family Medical Coverage) program. Check off “FMC” in boxes on page two for every member applying.
- Everyone living in the household should be listed on the application.
- A pregnant mother should list her child as “unborn” in the household members section on the application and put the due date as the age.
- A valid social security number must be provided for every person who is applying for benefits. Anyone who is not applying for benefits does not need to provide their social security number.
- The Welfare office provides 10 days to send in additional requested documentation. Applicants can request an extension if needed.
- Applicants can reapply at any time if they are found ineligible.
Children with Disabilities
- A family with a child(ren) with disabilities should apply for SSI (must still meet citizenship and residency requirements). This is a separate application and families should call the SSI Office at 1-800-772-1213. The SSI application begins with a phone interview and then SSI will also send the applicant a paper application.
- Also, screen applicants for the Katie Beckett Medicaid Program
Submitting Applications
- Medicaid applications can be mailed in to the local district Welfare Office. If a family is only applying for Medicaid, they do not need to have a face-to-face interview, but are required to provide the original copies of their citizenship documentation.
- Applicants for TANF or Food Stamps must have a face-to-face interview with an eligibility worker at the time the application is submitted and then annually to verify eligibility
Referrals to Nevada Check Up
- Once a month, Medicaid refers its applicants who were determined “over-income” to Nevada Check Up. The family does not have to send in a Nevada Check Up application. However, Check Up may ask the family for additional information.
- However, this only happens if the entire family is found ineligible for Medicaid. If one child is found eligible for Medicaid and the rest are not, the family will not be notified by Medicaid about Nevada Check Up and must fill out a separate application.
- Nevada Check Up will refer “under-income” applicants to Medicaid immediately. Families may need to complete a separate Medicaid application.
Other Health Insurance
- If a family has private insurance, they may still qualify for Medicaid if they meet the income guidelines. Medicaid becomes their secondary insurance and their private insurance will be their primary insurance. Medicaid will cover the difference for co-pays and premiums after the private insurance is billed.
Previous Medical Bills
- Medicaid covers some bills retroactively for eligible applicants. It will pay for medical bills incurred up to 3 months prior to the month an eligible person applied for Medicaid, but the applicant needs to mark yes to question #13 on their initial application.
Delinquent Parents
- The Welfare Office does not contact delinquent parents if the custodial parent is only applying for medical benefits for their child or children.
- If a parent is applying for benefits for themselves, the Welfare Office will contact the delinquent parent unless:
- the pregnancy resulted from rape/incest,
- legal proceedings for adoption of the child are pending in court,
- parent is being assisted by a social service agency about whether or not to keep the child,
- or the parent’s cooperation in establishing paternity support will result in physical or emotional harm to the parent applying for aide or the children involved
Immigration Issues
- Welfare requires that all Medicaid recipients are US citizens or legal residents for 5 consecutive years. Children of undocumented parents can still qualify for Medicaid if they are U.S. citizens even though their parents are undocumented. Applying only for medical coverage will not affect a family’s immigration status.
- Applying for TANF or Food Stamps can affect a family’s immigration status. Applicants should be told to mark “none” on page one of the application for any family member who is not a U.S. citizen. A food stamp application for eligible children will never affect a family’s immigration status.
- See Emergency Medicaid for more information on programs for undocumented immigrants.