STATE DEPARTMENT FOR CHILDREN               3/6/14
AND FAMILIES                                             
Family Services
Docking State Office Building
Room 581 - West
Topeka, Kansas 66612

OVERVIEW OF CHANGES

A brief overview of the major changes is described below. Other clarifications and technical corrections are also included and described in the next section. Additional technical corrections not mentioned here are being incorporated in KEESM as needed.

Medical Assistance – The new federal poverty levels are being adopted, including an increase in the minimum community spouse income allowance, the dependent family member allowance, and the excess shelter deduction. These changes are all effective April 1, 2014.

DESCRIPTION, PURPOSE, AND DETAILS OF POLICY CHANGE

1. Medical Assistance
   
   
   1. Changes
      
      
      1. Poverty Level Changes – New federal poverty level guidelines have been published by the Department of Health and Human Services. The guidelines affect the eligibility standards for the following medical groups:
         
         
         1. Income standards for the Medicaid poverty level and CHIP programs, and premium standards for the CHIP program;
            
            
         2. Income standards for the QMB, LMB, Expanded LMB, and QWD programs;
            
            
         3. Income standards for the TransMed program;
            
            
         4. Income and premium standards for the Working Healthy (WH) program;
            
            
         5. For spousal impoverishment, the minimum community spouse income allowance increases from $1,939 to $1,967. The dependent family member allowance increases from $647 to $656. The excess shelter deduction increases from $218 to $219.

         The following KEESM Sections, Forms and Appendix items are modified with this change:

         Sections 8144.2 and 8244.2
         
         ES-3104.5, Determination of Need
         
         ES-3163, Income Allowance Determination
         
         ES-3165, Working Healthy Premium Information
         
         Appendix Item F-8, Kansas Medical Assistance Standards.

         
         Separate implementation instructions were issued to staff for these changes.

   2. Clarifications
      
      None

FORMS

1. Medical Assistance

   1. ES-3104.5, Determination of Need

   2. ES-3163, Income Allowance Determination Form

   3. ES-3165, Working Healthy Premium Information

APPENDIX

Medical Assistance

F-8, Kansas Medical Assistance Standards

MISCELLANEOUS FORMS

None

EFFECTIVE DATE

Polices for this revision are effective April 1, 2014.

EFFECT ON LOCAL STAFF

The medical changes contained in this revision will likely result in a slight increase in staff effort to incorporate the new poverty level changes.

MATERIALS OBSOLETED BY THIS REVISION

None

COORDINATION EFFORTS

This change was coordinated with staff in Economic and Employment Services, Executive Leadership, and the EES Program Administrators.

Sincerely,
Jaime Rogers, EES Director
Economic and Employment Services
JR:am