All Medicaid Programs |
Obsolete Policy |
If clients received medical services during any of the three months immediately before the date they apply for Medicaid, they may be able to receive Medicaid for some or all of that time-period. The Retroactive Period is the 3 calendar months immediately before the application month. (See Sec. 703 for a definition of an application and 703-2 to decide the date of application.)
SLMB and QI: Eligibility workers ALWAYS need to decide if applicants who have Medicare are eligible for SLMB or QI benefits for any of the three months (retroactive period) before the date of application. Clients are often unaware they can receive retroactive coverage for their Part B Medicare premiums, so they may not ask. Workers are responsible for looking at the retroactive period to see if the person qualified, even if the client does not need Medicaid for the retroactive period, or does not choose to meet a Medicaid spenddown for retroactive months. This is because for each month of eligibility, these programs can reimburse the Medicare Part B premiums clients have paid.