(a) The county welfare department shall send any CalFresh applicant who is determined to be eligible for CalFresh benefits and who does not indicate on his or her application an interest in enrolling in the Medi-Cal program a copy of the notice developed pursuant to subdivision (b).
(b) (1) Each county welfare department shall develop a notice informing individuals identified pursuant to subdivision (a) that they may be entitled to receive Medi-Cal benefits and requesting their permission to use the information in the CalFresh recipient’s case file to make a determination of eligibility for the Medi-Cal program.
(2) The notice shall also include a request for permission to forward the information in the CalFresh recipient’s case file to the Healthy Families Program administrator for eligibility determination if the individual is determined to be eligible to participate in the Medi-Cal program with a share of cost, or is determined to be ineligible for Medi-Cal.
(3) To apply for medical assistance under the Medi-Cal program, the CalFresh recipient shall sign, date, and return the notice requesting that an eligibility determination be made.
(4) Upon receipt of the notice, the county welfare department shall make an eligibility determination by utilizing the information in the CalFresh recipient’s case file or paper application. The Medi-Cal application date shall be the date the notice is received by the county welfare department.
(5) If the CalFresh case file does not include sufficient information to establish Medi-Cal program eligibility, the county welfare department shall request, either orally or in writing, additional information from the CalFresh recipient.
(6) The notice shall be written in culturally and linguistically appropriate language and at an appropriate literacy level. The notice shall include information on the Medi-Cal program and the Healthy Families Program, a telephone number that CalFresh recipients may call for additional information, and a prepaid means of returning the notice to the county welfare department to begin the eligibility determination process.
(c) If an individual identified in subdivision (a) or (b) is determined to be eligible to participate in the Medi-Cal program with a share of cost, or is determined to be ineligible for Medi-Cal, information pertinent to the CalFresh recipient’s eligibility for the Healthy Families Program shall be forwarded by the county welfare department to the Healthy Families Program statewide administrator for immediate processing. If there is insufficient information to establish Healthy Families Program eligibility, the administrator shall request, either orally or in writing, additional information from the CalFresh recipient.
(d) Counties shall include the cost of implementing this section in their annual administrative budget requests to the State Department of Health Care Services.
(Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 227, Sec. 28. (AB 1400) Effective January 1, 2012.)