State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services

Release 24-03 December 18, 2024

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2.8 Begin Dates

2.8.1 Begin Dates Introduction

Medicaid eligibility begins the first day of the month in which the valid application is submitted and all program requirements are met with the following exceptions. For these exceptions, begin dates are the date a valid application is submitted, all program requirements are met, and:

1. Deductible – The date the deductible was met.
2. Person Adds – The date the person moved into the household.
3. Recent Moves – The date the member moved to Wisconsin.
   Exception: The begin date for an SSISupplemental Security Income. A program based on financial need operated by the Social Security Administration that provides monthly income to low income people who are age 65 or older, blind, or disabled. recipient who moves to Wisconsin is the 1st of the month of the move.
4. Home and Community-Based Waivers – The program start date provided by the Managed Care Organization (MCO), IRIS Consultant Agency (ICA), or County Waiver Agency (CWA).
5. Institutionalized – The date the person entered into the nursing home or hospital.
6. QMBQualified Medicare Beneficiary – The first of the month following the eligibility confirmation.
7. SeniorCare – The first of the month following the month in which all program requirements have been met.

2.8.2 Backdated Eligibility

Medicaid eligibility can be backdated up to three months prior to the month of application.

The backdated eligibility should not go back further than the first of the month, three months prior to the application month. The member may be certified for any backdate month in which he or she would have been eligible had he or she applied in that month.

A backdate request can be made at any time except when the member is already enrolled and backdating the member’s eligibility would result in a deductible for the backdated period.

If a member has incurred a bill from a Medicaid-certified provider during a backdate period, instruct the member to contact the provider to inform them to bill Medicaid. The member may be eligible to receive a refund, up to the amount already paid to the provider.

Example 1

Mary who is 66 years old, applied for Medicaid on April 6, and was found eligible. At the time of application, Mary did not request a backdate.   In September Mary is billed for a doctor’s appointment she had at the end of February. Mary can ask to have her eligibility backdated through February. She meets all non-financial and financial eligibility criteria in the months of February and March. Her worker certifies her for Medicaid for both months.

See Section 15.6.8 Backdated Months for information on counting self-employment income for backdated months.

For backdating rules for Medicare Beneficiaries, see Section 32.8 Medicare Savings Programs Backdating.

Assets

A person’s asset eligibility in a backdate month is determined by whether or not he or she had excess assets on the last day of the month. If he or she had excess assets on the last day of the month, he or she is ineligible for the entire month. If he or she was asset eligible on the last day of the month, he or she is eligible for the whole month.

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The information concerning the Medicaid program provided in this handbook release is published in accordance with: Titles XI and XIX of the Social Security Act; Parts 430 through 481 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations; Chapters 46 and 49 of the Wisconsin Statutes; and Chapters HA 3, DHS 2, 10 and 101 through 109 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code.

Notice: The content within this manual is the sole responsibility of the State of Wisconsin's Department of Health Services (DHS). This site will link to sites outside of DHS where appropriate. DHS is in no way responsible for the content of sites outside of DHS.

Publication Number: P-10030