At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the federal government declared a public health emergency (PHE). For the duration of the PHE, states are required to continue Medicaid health care coverage for all medical assistance programs, even if a member’s eligibility changes. This means AHCCCS – ALTCS was required to suspend disenrollments for most members (unless they moved out of state, aged out of KidsCare, voluntarily disenrolled, or died). Disenrollment suspensions will remain in place until the end of the federal PHE. Once the PHE ends, AHCCCS is required to reinstate its standard redetermination processes and disenroll individuals who no longer meet eligibility criteria.

On October 13, 2022, the Secretary of Health and Human Services again extended the PHE. Prior PHE extensions have typically been granted for 90 days at a time, and the federal government has stated it will provide states with at least 60 days prior notice of the end of the PHE.

If you or a loved one receives Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS) benefits and experienced a change in financial circumstance during the pandemic, you may not have been disqualified from services due to the PHE. However, when the PHE ends so could lose your ALTCS eligibility without proper advance planning. If this applies to you, contact our office today at 480-922-1010 or email info@bivenslaw.com to schedule a consultation.