Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 19, September 20, 2024
A. The local health
department or the local department of social services shall determine
eligibility for pregnant women and children.
B. The local health department or the local
department of social services shall give oral or written information about the
eligibility requirements, coverage, scope, and related services of the Maryland
Children's Health Program, and an individual's rights and obligations under the
Program, to any individual requesting this information.
C. The local health department or the local
department of social services shall make the application form available without
delay to an individual requesting one.
D. A resident temporarily absent from the
State but intending to return may apply for assistance by mail to the local
health department or the local department of social services in the
jurisdiction in which the resident's home is located. The individual shall
demonstrate the individual's continued residency in the State and shall meet
all technical and financial requirements in order to be determined
eligible.
E. Application Filing and
Signature Requirements.
(1) An individual who
wishes to apply for the Maryland Children's Health Program under this chapter
shall submit a written and signed application form to the local health
department or the local department of social services in the jurisdiction in
which the individual's residence is located. An applicant is responsible for
completing the application but may be assisted in the completion by an
individual of the applicant's choice.
(2) For the purpose of establishing only the
date of application, the applicant, or a person acting on behalf of the
applicant, shall sign the application form.
(3) For the purpose of establishing
eligibility of a pregnant or postpartum woman of any age, the applicant shall
sign the application form.
(4) For
the purpose of establishing eligibility of a child applicant who is neither
pregnant nor postpartum, a parent or stepparent living with the child shall
complete and sign the application form. If the child does not live with a
parent, an authorized representative who is 21 years old or older shall
complete and sign the application form.
F. The date of application shall be the date
on which a written, signed application is received by the local health
department or the local department of social services. The application may be
mailed or hand delivered to the local health department or it may be hand
delivered to the local department of social services.
G. An individual who has filed an application
may voluntarily withdraw that application but the application form remains the
property of the local health department of the local department or social
services and the withdrawal does not affect the periods under consideration
specified under §H of this regulation.
H. Period Under Consideration. The local
health department or the local department of social services shall establish a
period under consideration based on the date of application established under
§F of this regulation. For both a pregnant or postpartum woman and a
child, the period under consideration is the 12-month period beginning with the
month of application.
I. Processing
Applications-Time Limitations.
(1) When an
application is filed at the local health department, a decision shall be made
promptly but not later than 10 days from the date of application. When an
application is filed at the local department of social services, a decision
shall be made promptly, but not later than 30 days from the date of
application.
(2) The time standards
specified in §I(1) of this regulation cover the period from the date of
application to the date the local health department or the local department of
social services mails notice of its decision to the applicant.
(3) The local health department or the local
department of social services shall inform the applicant in writing of the
missing information needed to determine eligibility, and the applicable time
limit of 10 or 30 days.
(4) When an
applicant fails to complete the application form or to provide the required
information needed to determine eligibility within the 10 or 30 day limit
provided under §I(1) of this regulation, the applicant shall be determined
ineligible.
(5) If an applicant is
determined ineligible for the current period under consideration due to a
technical factor, the application shall be disposed of and the application date
may not be retained. If the applicant reapplies, a new period under
consideration shall be established based on the date the new application is
filed.
(6) Reactivation of an
Application Following a Decision of Ineligibility.
(a) A request for current eligibility
following the rejection of an application for failure to provide required
information or verifications is considered a reactivation of the appropriate
earlier application if the request is filed within 6 months of the earlier
application.
(b) The reactivation
period applies to the earliest rejected application for which the period under
consideration has not expired.
(c)
The applicant may establish eligibility at any time during the reactivation
period.
J.
Required Information.
(1) The information
needed to determine eligibility for the Maryland Children's Health Program,
including an applicant's earned and unearned income, shall be accepted, without
written documentation, by the local health department or the local department
of social services.
(2) Written
verification of the income of a parent or spouse whose income is considered in
determining the eligibility of the applicant shall be required if the parent or
spouse does not submit a social security number.
(3) Written verification of any factor of
eligibility shall be required if the eligibility worker determines that the
applicant's statements are inconsistent with other available
information.
