Medicaid, Adult Medical Program (AMP)

Under federal law that went into effect on February 2009, the Department of Human Services (DHS) is required to provide Medicaid (and Medicaid funded AMP) to individuals while they gather their proof of identity and citizenship. DHS also is prohibited from requiring proof of identity and citizenship from anyone who qualified for Medicaid as a newborn because his or her mother was on Medicaid at the time of the birth. In the past, Medicaid was not opened until the individual provided the required verification of citizenship. The new law states that Medicaid (or AMP) must be opened first and the verification obtained after the case is opened. BAM 130

A new process for requesting verification of U.S. citizenship has been added. No other eligibility factors have changed, an applicant must still meet all financial and non-financial factors for Medicaid (MA) and Adult Medical Program (AMP). Documents used to verify citizenship and identity may be originals or copies of the original document.

When an applicant for MA or AMP claims to be a U.S. citizen, and all other eligibility factors are met, benefits should be opened. Once the case has been opened and coverage entered into Bridges, the caseworker should request verification of citizenship. The caseworker should attempt to verify citizenship through a data match such as the Social Security Administration or a Department of Community Health (DCH) vital records match. If there is a discrepancy with the information or it is not available, the caseworker should contact the applicant/recipient. If this happens, the individual is allowed 90 days to provide the required verifications. If no
documentation is provided at the end of the 90 days, the person will be disenrolled from MA or AMP after a 30 day negative action period. Individuals must be notified of the pending closure and the reason for the closure. If documentation is received prior to the closure date the coverage must continue.

Most legal aid and legal services offices handle these types of cases, and they do not charge a fee.

You can locate various sources of legal and related services, including the free legal aid office that serves your county, at MichiganLegalAid.org.

You can also look in the yellow pages under "attorneys" or call the toll-free lawyer referral number, (800) 968-0738.