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

Second Modification for Art Place at Fort Totten Phase II Submitted

Sep 3, 2021 | Alerts, News & Updates, Next Stop...Riggs Park

Originally printed in the online newsletter Next Stop…Riggs Park on August 31, 2021.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Reprinted September 3, 2021

As expected, the Cafritz Foundation has submitted a second application for a modification of consequence for the second phase of Art Place at Fort Totten (also known as “Block B” or “The FEZ at Art Place“) with the DC Zoning Commission (zoning case number 06-10F). After a multi-year journey that is too much to capture in this post, the Zoning Commission approved the second phase of this planned unit development (PUD) with Meow Wolf, effective March 20, 2020 (see these posts for that discussion). On April 21, 2020, the developer filed an application for a modification of consequence with a few changes that was approved by the Zoning Commission, effective September 4, 2020. Now that Meow Wolf is no longer part of the second phase, the developer is back with another application for a modification of consequence due to the change in tenant mix.

The submission dated August 26, 2021, states,

As a result of the unprecedented impacts of the COVID pandemic, Meow Wolf determined that it was no longer able to move forward with the ratified lease for space at the Art Place at Fort Totten Phase B. While no longer pursuing the original plans, Meow Wolf and the Applicant remain excited about the vibrant creative community of Washington DC and the vision for the Arts Place at Fort Totten. Both parties agreed to keep open the option to work together in the coming years in order to find ways to honor each other’s social impact mission for the benefit of the metropolitan area.

Proposed modifications from the submission

Modification of Commercial Use
- Meow Wolf being replaced with similar immersive arts experience
- Previously approved uses remain (children’s museum, food hall, grocery store, arts uses, theater/entertainment space) – (Note: submission notes developer is in talks with the Venue Group to manage the theater/entertainment space and is in talks with Illuminarium, Super Blue, and Artechouse about being part of the family entertainment zone (FEZ)
- Overall commercial use area reduced by 33,500 square feet
Modification of residential use
- Extend north residential tower & eliminate amenity terrace to add residential units all the way to Kennedy Street (Note: all of the additional units would be market-rate)
- Last remaining Riggs Plaza garden apartment no longer needed
- Dog Park relocated to new corner of 4th & Kennedy
Architectural Modifications
- “Fort” on corner of Ingraham & 4th removed to improve indoor/outdoor dining experience
- Height of drum reduced by 2 stories based on replacing Meow Wolf
- Terrace added above retail on South Dakota Avenue
- Area of excavation for parking & parking count reduced based on revised program
- Electrical transformers & switchgear relocated based on new garage footprint
- Traffic study updated to show no adverse impact to new program with parking reduction (Note: parking reduced from 717 vehicle spaces to 494 spaces, believes fits more of the demand due to fewer peak hour trips, same access points into the site, removed one garage entrance)
- Loading berth off 4th Street added to enhance flexibility for commercial tenants
- Palette on residential towers revised based on more neutral colors
The Cafritz Foundation states they will abide by proposed mitigations in original PUD–full traffic signal at South Dakota Avenue & Ingraham Street NE, pedestrian improvements on Ingraham Street, improvements on South Dakota Avenue NE and on Kennedy Street NE

The developer believes that the changes are not so significant as to require a hearing and anticipates that the Zoning Commission will be able to consider the modification on the record at a public meeting on September 30, 2021.

The project sits in ANC 5A08. ANC Commissioner Gordon Fletcher (5A08) will likely hold a single member district (SMD) meeting sometime in September about the proposed changes, so stay tuned for that.

Some images of the proposed changes below: