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

Construction Halted on North Michigan Park-Fort Totten Pedestrian Path

Sep 12, 2021 | Alerts, News & Updates, Next Stop...Riggs Park

Originally printed in the online newsletter Next Stop…Riggs Park on September 9, 2021.

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Reprinted September 12, 2021

Just when we thought things were finally back on track for construction of the North Michigan Park-Fort Totten pedestrian path between Galloway and Gallatin streets NE, ANC 5A sends word that the National Park Service (NPS) is halting construction again. And this time more indefinitely it appears. See the communication from ANC 5A below:

The National Park Service (NPS) recently paused construction of the Fort Totten pedestrian trail between Galloway Street and Gallatin Street, N.E. again.

During preparations to resume construction, the NPS discovered an underground infrastructure that may prohibit the trail from being constructed as planned. The NPS is surveying the site and considering other options for the trail that could include redesigning the trail or changing its route.

The site will remain closed for public safety as we explore these options.

We know this project is important to the community, and it is important to us, too. We will resume construction as soon as possible.

Please reach out to me at kym_elder@nps.gov if you should have any questions.

Color me confused. NPS does not indicate exactly what this “underground infrastructure” is.

This also makes me wonder if a path/sidewalk will ever get constructed on the south side of Galloway between South Dakota and 4th Street NE. That path should have been designed a long time ago. I was told by someone in the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) that after funding was finally budgeted for design, NPS designed a path that was six feet when it should have been 10 feet. Earlier this year in April, NPS wrote to me that “DDOT just transferred the funding to Federal Highway Administration to complete the design of the sidewalk from South Dakota Avenue NE to the existing DDOT/WMATA sidewalk along Galloway Street NE. We do not have a timeline at this point when the design will be completed.” So design of that path appears to be sitting in a black hole somewhere between NPS and DDOT. I remain confused about why all of this seems so hard.

In any case, it is not clear what the timeline is for next steps on the Gallatin-Galloway path or how and when NPS intends to rehabilitate the area where extensive soil has already been removed for construction. But hopefully the unfinished path will not just become an even bigger mud pit than it already was before this project got started.