However,
long term care and emergency applications will remain with the county. Also,
county employees will continue to assist clients to apply for Medicaid on-line
using the NJ FamilyCare application that will be sent directly to Xerox for
processing.
The
transfer of Medicaid determinations will free up county Human Services
employees to provide additional support in other benefit programs, such as
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, General Assistance and Supplemental
Nutritional Assistance.
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| Hank Lyon |
“For
the past several years, the economic climate has been fraught with challenges
for government, particularly for the Human Services system,’’ said Morris
County Director of Human Services Jennifer Carpinteri. “With the implementation
of Medicaid expansion and changes in various funding streams that support some
of our most critical services, we must look at our infrastructure to find
efficiencies while continuing to provide high quality services.”
The
goals of the Morris County pilot project are to improve timely and appropriate
eligibility determinations and improve customer experience:
All new and
re-determination community Medicaid cases in Morris County would be shifted to
Xerox. As of Oct. 15, there were 33,253 Medicaid cases in Morris County in 2015.
New
Morris County applicants would be directed to apply online at
njfamilycare.org. Online applications would be routed electronically to
the Health Benefits Coordinator’s state-approved system, which would assume
responsibility for the case with state oversight.
Morris
County will maintain eligibility determination responsibility for all new and
existing long-term care, aged, blind and disabled, and medical emergency cases.
Some
Morris County staff will be re-assigned to provide additional workers in other
units to reduce backlogs and help meet compliance and timelines issues in other
benefit programs.
To
reduce the strain, the state shifted pending cases and new online applications
to Xerox. While this action helped a bit, Morris County still was unable to
keep pace with the need for public assistance. The new pilot project is
expected to make a major difference.
“This
“out-of-the-box” business model will be the first of its kind in New Jersey,
and the state and county are equally motivated to explore this pilot together,”
said Valerie Harr, Director of the Department of Human Services’ Division of
Medical Assistance and Health Services, which administers Medicaid.
“Partnering
with the state is advantageous to both the state and Morris County,” she added.
To further explore efficiencies, Morris County will partner with community providers to assist clients is applying for Medicaid online, with applications sent directly to Xerox for processing. This is an opportunity to potentially save transportation costs and overtime costs, while fostering a client-friendly approach to accessing services.
For
the NJ FamilyCare application, visit: http://www.njfamilycare.org/apply.aspx