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

From the Mayor’s Office

May 6, 2021 | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Mayor's Office, News & Updates

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

May 6, 2021

CONTACT: 

Susana Castillo (EOM) – (202) 727-5011; susana.castillo@dc.gov

Shayne Wells (DMPED) – (202) 215-8384; shayne.wells@dc.gov

Mayor Bowser, in Partnership with Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Launches the Washington, DC Health Innovation QuickFire Challenge to Spur Innovation Around Health Equity

(WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED), working with the Washington D.C. Economic Partnership (WDCEP) and in collaboration with Johnson & Johnson Innovation, are launching a health equity challenge that is focused on addressing chronic health care challenges in Washington, DC. Through the Washington, DC Health Innovation QuickFire Challenge, innovators from around the world are invited to submit potential science and technology solutions aimed towards addressing racial and socioeconomic disparities that impact health outcomes in communities of color. Submissions must include innovations that transform patient outcomes in maternal mortality, cardiovascular diseases and systemic autoimmunity, or kidney diseases.  

“We have known, even before the pandemic laid these inequities bare, that there is urgent work to do to ensure more equitable health outcomes in our community,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser. “We are proud to have partners like Johnson & Johnson Innovation in our work to build health care systems that meet the needs of all residents, attack health disparities, and make us more resilient for the challenges that lie ahead.”

Through an existing grant, WDCEP will award up to four innovators a total of $250,000, with grant increments starting at $50,000. Awardees will also receive an invitation to reside at JLABS @ Washington, DC, a 32,000-square-foot incubator located at the new Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus in NW DC, on a portion of the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center Campus.

“Health innovation is critical to building a more equitable Washington, DC,” said Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development John Falcicchio. “This QuickFire Challenge will help develop solutions to inequalities in health care and I am excited to see the innovative developments that come out of this.”

Awardees will also receive access to mentorship, resources, and programming. With Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS strategically located in Washington, DC, resident companies will benefit from this innovative ecosystem, which includes Children’s National Research Institute and Virginia Tech, with close proximity to federal research institutions and agencies, university and academic research centers, and a robust biohealth community. 

With the goal to catalyze promising science within the Washington, DC ecosystem, awardees will be evaluated by an expert panel of reviewers and judges based on their ability to address these scientific gaps. Selection criteria includes the uniqueness of the idea, potential impact on human health, the feasibility of the idea, thoroughness of approach, and identification of key resources and a plan to further the idea.

The QuickFire Challenges are managed by Johnson & Johnson Innovation, with the goal to address today’s greatest health care challenges. Applications are now open. The deadline to apply for the Washington DC Health Innovation QuickFire Challenge is June 11, 2021. Find more information and apply here.

 

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Government of the District of Columbia. Muriel Bowser, Mayor