Item 00-06-01G

California Department of Social Services - State Hearings Division
Notes from the Training Bureau - June 12, 2000

Item 00-06-01G
CDHS ACWDLs 00-17 and 00-31 -- March 24 and May 8, 2000 (Synopsis): Elimination of the Face-to-Face Interview

Elimination of the Face-to-Face Interview

ACWDL 00-17 notifies counties that the face-to-face interview is not required when adding adults or children over age 19 to the MFBU. All verifications necessary to determine eligibility shall be obtained by mail. Photocopies of documents, including alien documents are acceptable.

Applicants may still choose to have a face-to-face interview. Counties may request an applicant to complete a face-to-face interview only for good cause or suspicion of fraud.

ACWDL 00-31 notifies counties that effective July 1, 2000, the face-to-face interview requirement is eliminated for all Medi-Cal applicants except applicants for minor consent services. Any applicant may request a face-to-face interview.

If a request for Medi-Cal is made by phone, the county must complete a SAWS 1 on behalf of the applicant to protect the applicant's date of application and must mail the MC 210/SAWS 2 to the applicant for completion. Applicants shall be advised to come to the county office if they have an immediate need for Medi-Cal.

The county is permitted to request an applicant to complete a face-to-face interview before Medi-Cal is approved only for good cause or suspicion of fraud. The good cause criteria established in ACWDL 99-36 include one or more of the following situations that cannot be resolved by phone or mail:

Questionable information on the application form or verification.

Individual or family has no visible means of support.

Obvious discrepancies between what the applicant reported on the application and what the county discovered on the Income Verification System (IEVS) regarding income and/or assets.

Self-employed person whose income and expenses do not match reported income and the questionable information could not be resolved with a follow-up telephone contact or by mail.

The county must document the reasons it requested the face-to-face interview in the case file.

Income Verification Change

Effective July 1, 2000, applicants must only provide one pay stub received within the last 30 days to verify income. If the pay stub does not accurately reflect the amount reported on the application, the county may request further pay stubs to verify income.

County Informing Requirements

Counties are required to meet federal informing requirements such as the MC 219 Important Information for Persons Requesting Medi-Cal; the Child Health and Disability Prevention program brochure: the MC 007 Medi-Cal Information notice and the Medi-Cal What it Means to You pamphlet. The county is required to document in the case record that the information was provided.