Department of Health
Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance

Medicaid Eligibility Under TANF Assistance (Follow-Up Review)

Eligibility for Medicaid and public assistance programs is determined by local social services districts, which are overseen by the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA). Individuals who are ineligible for public assistance funded by the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program may be eligible for Medicaid. Therefore, when an individual is denied, or loses, TANF benefits, the individual’s eligibility for Medicaid must be determined in a separate review. In our prior audit report 2000-S-22, we selected nine social services districts and examined whether this separate review of Medicaid eligibility was conducted when required. We identified a number of instances in which the review was not conducted, and in some of these instances, it was determined by the districts (at our request) that the individuals would have been found to be eligible for Medicaid if the review had been done. We recommended that OTDA and the Department of Health work with the local districts to ensure that Medicaid eligibility was reviewed when required. In our follow-up review, we found that the recommendations contained in our prior report had been implemented.

For a complete copy of Report 2003-F-16 click here.
For a copy of the 90-day response click here.