Medicaid Policy
Medicaid Policy
Effective Date: January 1, 2018
What is Collateral Contact
A collateral contact is when you contact a third party to verify an eligibility factor. A third party may include medical providers, employers, family members or friends whom the individual has given us permission to contact to validate information. Contact may be made over the phone and properly documented, or by sending a release of information asking for the needed information.
Requesting Collateral Contact
When the agency needs hard copy verification, and the individual cannot get the verification, suggest other possible sources. Try to help the individual. You may contact an agency, organization, or other people by telephone, letter, or in person to get verification. These other sources of verification are called collateral contacts.
A collateral contact with an employer must document the wage information, frequency of payments, the person contacted, the employer’s or business’s name, the phone number and date of contact.
Request information about health insurance and premiums the individual may be paying.
A collateral contact with some other entity or person who is providing income to the individual must document similar information about the source, amount and frequency.
Some collateral contacts may be made without permission from the individual, but workers need to tell the individual they will contact the third party.
Get written permission from the individual before contacting State or Federally chartered financial institutions about financial transactions or other information about the individual's financial condition.
Use the form 114, Authorization to Furnish Information and Release from Liability.
If the individual refuses to get the needed verification from collateral sources or refuses to consent to collateral contact, and there is no other way to verify the needed information, deny or end the coverage.