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Home > Take Action > New Citizenship Requirement for Medicaid: A Challenge for Ohio's Children and Families

	Monitoring Project Overview
	Story Template
	Fact Sheet
	Proof of Citizenship Flyer
	Citizenship Verification Requirement
	How do I get a copy of my Birth Certificate
	ODJFS Training
	JFS Role in Citizenship Verification
	Additional Resources - Citizenship Documentation
	ODJFS Desk Aid GoldSection

New Citizenship Requirement for Medicaid: A Challenge for Ohio's Children and Families

09-19-2006

Effective September 25, 2006, all children and families applying for or renewing Medicaid coverage will have to provide official documentation of their citizenship status. The addition of this new requirement to an already complex and challenging enrollment process may lead to decreased access to health care for some low-income children and their parents.

This page provides background information and some helpful tools and resources for community organizations, health providers, and other interested stakeholders. We will post information as it becomes available.

For specific questions related to how this new requirement will be implemented in your community, please contact your county department of job and family services.

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Voices for Ohio's Children is coordinating a statewide monitoring project on the effects of the new citizenship documentation requirement. The purpose of the project is to collect data and case examples that will help convey to policymakers and the public the serious ramifications and unintended consequences of the new requirement and the impact it may have on Medicaid beneficiaries, Medicaid applicants, providers and state administrative agencies. In addition, by monitoring what happens to U.S. citizens as they try to secure the required citizenship and identity documents, we can learn a great deal about strategies that may help relieve the burden on individuals, as well as those that are particularly problematic. Click the link to the right titled "Monitoring Project Overview" for a description of the monitoring project.

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Tell your story: Do you know an individual or family who has been affected by the new Medicaid citizenship documentation requirement? Click the link to the right titled "Story Template" for a template to use to share their story.

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What does the new Medicaid citizenship documentation requirement really mean? Click the link sto the right titled "Fact Sheet", "Proof of Citizenship Flyer" and "Citizenship Verification Requirement" for a brief overview.

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In order to meet this new requirement, most families will need to produce a birth certificate plus a document to prove identity. Click the link to the right titled "How do I get a copy of my Birth Certificate" for a short brochure describing how to secure a birth certificate.

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The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) which administers Ohio’s Medicaid program, and county departments of job and family services which determine Medicaid eligibility, share responsibility for the implementation of this new requirement. Click the links to the right titled "ODJFS Training" AND "JFS Role in Citizenship Verification" for training materials that ODJFS has used to prepare county departments of job and family services for implementation.

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For further resources, including links to the official rules governing the implementation of the new Medicaid citizenship documentation requirement, click the link to the right titled "Additional Resources - Citizenship Documentation".

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“Desk Aid”. Information and guidance from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to county departments of job and family services on how to implement the Medicaid citizenship documentation requirement. Click the link to the right titled "ODJFS Desk Aid GoldSection".

Mary Wachtel
Director of Public Policy

614.648.1450
mwachtel@vfc-oh.org