Chapter
615
2006 -- S 2377 SUBSTITUTE A
Enacted 07/14/06
A N A
C T
RELATING TO HUMAN
SERVICES
Introduced By: Senators
Perry, Goodwin, Tassoni, McCaffrey, and Gallo
Date Introduced: February
07, 2006
It is
enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION
1. Section 40-8.4-6 of the General Laws in Chapter 40-8.4 entitled "Health
Care
For Families" is hereby amended to read as follows:
40-8.4-6.
Administration. -- The department of human services shall assure that
eligibility
and enrollment is determined and provided in a timely, efficient and user
friendly
manner,
including mail-in applications. The department may enter into any necessary
cooperative
agreements
with the department of health and/or other state agencies to achieve the
purposes of
this
section. Children and families applying for cash assistance through the family
independence
program,
section 40-5.1-1 et seq., shall not be required to complete a separate
application for
medical
assistance under this chapter.
By
December 1, 2006, the department shall provide to the chair of the senate
health and
human
services committee, the chair of the house health, education and welfare
committee and to
the chairs
of the house and senate finance committees a report describing a process for
renewing
eligibility
for the RIte care program by using an "ex-parte" process whereby the
department uses
information
provided to the department from the recipients' cash assistance, food stamp,
and/or
child
care assistance records and from other reliable sources that are readily
available to the
department.
The report shall include at a minimum: how the ex-parte renewal process will
work;
the
date by which the process could be implemented; the number and types of cases
to which the
ex-parte
renewal process is anticipated to be applied; the costs and anticipated savings
of
implementing
the process; and how the department will assure the accuracy of the eligibility
determination
when the ex-parte process is used. The department shall consult with, and as
appropriate
include, members of the RIte care consumer advisory council in preparing this
report.
SECTION
2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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LC01925/SUB A
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