Medicaid Renewal Restart Frequently Asked Questions

– Danielle Lewis-Wright
Trustee & Health and Wellness Committee Chair
(2021-2023)

During the March 2023 LRCA meeting, the LRCA Health Committee presented on the Restart of Medicaid Renewals for District residents. Below are frequently asked questions about the Medicaid renewal restart process.

Q1. What is the Medicaid renewal process?

A renewal is a review of current eligibility factors (like current income or DC residency) to determine if someone enrolled in Medicaid, also known as a beneficiary, remains eligible for the Medicaid program. Medicaid renewal for each beneficiary occurs once every twelve (12) months. However, the renewal process was put on hold due to the COVID-Public Health Emergency since March 2020 but renewals will restart in April 1, 2023 and continue on a monthly, rolling basis for the next 14 months based on the date the beneficiary is scheduled to renew coverage.

Q2. Why are Medicaid renewals restarting now?

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020), the federal government declared a public health emergency (PHE). During the PHE, Medicaid continued health care coverage for all beneficiaries. Recent federal legislation changed this, so the District of Columbia is restarting Medicaid renewals effective April 1, 2023, to comply with these updated federal requirements.

Q3. When will Medicaid renewals restart?

The first renewal packages will be mailed to some beneficiaries on April 1, 2023, for one households whose coverage is due to renew on May 31, 2023 and some households whose coverage is due to renew on June 30, 2023. Renewals will continue on a monthly, rolling basis for a year thereafter based on the date the beneficiary is scheduled to renew coverage.

Q4. Will everyone on Medicaid have to renew their coverage in April 2023?

No, the Medicaid Renewal process will take 14 months. When it is time for a beneficiary to renew their coverage, they will receive a notice in the mail.

Q5. What can District residents do to prepare for the restart of Medicaid renewals?

If you have moved in the last three (3) years, do not wait to update your contact information. You can go to District Direct to check if the agency has your current contact information by going to https://districtdirect.dc.gov/. You may also call the Public Benefits Call Center at 202-727-5355 between 7:30 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. to update your information.

Q6. Will everyone enrolled in Medicaid have to fill out a renewal form?

No, not all beneficiaries will have to fill out a renewal form. The beneficiary’s eligibility information like current income and residency will be checked using electronic data sources. If the beneficiary remains eligible, then they will receive an approval notice in the mail. This process is known as a passive renewal and no action is needed from the beneficiary.

Q7. What is the process if the eligibility system cannot complete a passive renewal?

Beneficiaries will receive a renewal form in the mail to complete and return by the date listed on the renewal cover letter.

Q8. How can Medicaid beneficiaries renew their coverage and submit their renewal form?

It is important to highlight that Medicaid beneficiaries will have several ways to submit their renewal form:

Online: By using the District Direct eligibility system that allows beneficiaries to complete their renewal, report changes, submit verifications, and view notices online or through the mobile app. Beneficiaries may visit https://districtdirect.dc.gov/ or download the mobile app through the Apple App Store or Google Play.

By Mail: Beneficiaries may mail their renewal to:

Department of Human Services | Economic Security Administration

Case Record Management Unit

P.O. Box 91560

Washington, DC 20090

In Person: Beneficiaries may submit their completed and signed renewal form to one of the Department of Human Services

service center:

Location

Address

Anacostia Service Center

2100 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE, DC 20020

Congress Heights Service Center

4049 South Capitol St. SW, DC 20032

Fort Davis Service Center

3851 Alabama Ave. SE, DC 20020

H Street Service Center

645 H St. NE, DC 20002

Taylor St. Location

1207 Taylor St. NW, DC 20011

By Fax: Fax the Renewal to (202) 671-4400

Once you receive your renewal notice, make sure to complete all questions on the form and report all changes in your household. These changes may include if someone becomes pregnant, has a new baby, moves in or out of your home or has an income change—or any other changes that may affect your benefits. Make sure to sign your renewal form before submission. For forms submitted on-line an electronic signature option is available.

Review Presentation

News & Information

C100 Press Release: Table the Comp Plan Amendment Act (Bill 24-0001)

Apr 29, 2021 | News & Updates, Press Release, The Committee of 100 (C100)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 29, 2021
Contact: Meg Maguire
202-546-4536

C100 Urges DC Council To Table Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2020 (Bill 24-0001) Because it Perpetuates, Accelerates Racial Inequity.

The Committee of 100 on the Federal City (C100) is urging the Council to “table,” i.e., postpone further action on, the Committee Print of Bill 24-0001 Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2020 because the current draft “…perpetuates and accelerates failed policies that have led to gross racial inequities and citizen disempowerment.” See our April 28, 2021 letter to the Council on this matter HERE.

In its letter to the Council, C100 quotes from the new Council Office of Racial Equity’s (CORE) report which found that the bill “…fails to disrupt the status quo of deep racial inequities in the District of Columbia [and] perpetuates the status quo” including the conditions that have led to the displacement of tens of thousands of Black DC residents. The CORE report further concludes that the bill distorts history, conceals data that reveal inequities, excludes Black and other groups from decision-making, lacks forceful policies, actions and accountability, and ignores the disproportionate effect of the COVID-19 public health emergency in exacerbating a divided city.

“We support CORE’s conclusions.,” said Kirby Vining, Chair of C100. Unmasking the Rewrite: How to Make the Comprehensive Plan Work for DC, C100’s December 2020 74-page analysis of five Comp Plan elements, stated:

The Plan fails to reckon honestly with the city’s inequities and past failures, laying the groundwork for repeating the same mistakes in the future.
Faulty data, missing data and discredited theories underlie the policies and actions promoted in the Plan.
The amendments will further disempower residents and undercut the Council by transferring power over land use decisions to the Executive and the Zoning Commission.
The Plan is astonishingly weak on policies and actions to achieve affordable housing or build generational wealth.
The Plan is not a plan at all but a pastiche of problematic prescriptions. Conceived through a chaotic process, it is not based on a foundation of good data, community visioning, evaluation of alternatives or building consensus.

The C100 letter to the Council concludes with a request for a NO vote on the current draft and for the Council to start planning for the 2026 Comprehensive Plan rewrite based on better data and real community involvement that will “…guide us to a more equitable and prosperous future for all.”

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The Committee of 100 on the Federal City, founded in 1923, is the oldest independent citizen organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the nation’s capital and metropolitan area. The Committee serves as both a thoughtful forum and as an active force for responsibly planning the future of the city and metropolitan region. C100 is a tax-exempt, non-profit volunteer organization and is proud of the motto:
“A beautiful and livable Washington, D.C. for all.”