LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) announced Monday afternoon that they have now completed what officials called an "unwinding" period over a six month period that conducted eligibility redeterminations for Medicaid beneficiaries whose coverage was extended due to special rules in effect during the COVID public health emergency.
The "continuous enrollment requirement" that was in effect during the public health emergency prevented the state from removing people it said were ineligible for Medicaid. Then on April 1 the "normal eligibility" requirements were reinstated.
During the six-month "unwinding period," the DHS worked to "reevaluate" eligibility based on the requirements set by Congress and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The total number of disenrollments during the six-month period was a total of 427,459, according to the state.
“Medicaid resources should go to Arkansans who qualify for them, and not for those who are ineligible,” DHS Secretary Kristi Putnam said. “I’m proud of the work that staff across our entire agency performed over the last six months to ensure that our program is serving only those who truly need Medicaid. And I’m excited to finally put the pandemic and the special rules that had been in place behind us so we can focus on serving Arkansans under normal eligibility operations going forward.”
During the month of September alone, there were 45,536 cases renewed after their eligibility was confirmed and there were 53,553 who were disenrolled because they no longer met the eligibility requirements.
The reasons for closure in September were: failure to return renewal form, failure to return requested information, household income was above limit, didn't meet requirements, or client requested closure.
Any beneficiary who believes their case might have been closed in error can click here for more information.
Beneficiaries who are in need of assistance can call (855) 372-1084 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday.