LA HAP Bulletin for 1/10/18
2018 Income Documentation Grace Period
When submitting applications, please submit 2018 documentation for clients whenever possible. To allow for the transition into the new year, the following forms of 2017 documentation will still be accepted through February 28th, 2018:
- Tax documents received in 2017 reflecting 2016 tax year (W-2, 1040, etc)
- Benefit award letters (SSDI, etc)
- LIS application receipts
Clarification on LA HAP calculation of income
Because LA HAP eligibility is partially based upon Medicaid ineligibility, we attempt to align our income calculation methodology with that of Medicaid as closely as possible. Medicaid generally counts income received in the month prior to application. For this reason, we solicit recent documentation that most closely reflects the client’s most current income situation. While LA HAP does not require that income documentation be dated within the previous month (in order to allow for greater flexibility in collecting this documentation from clients), we generally prioritize the most recent documentation received. This is the reason why, for example, the amounts reflected in a client’s weekly pay stubs will take precedence over the year-to-date amount when calculating total income.
As a reminder, federal legislation stipulates that Ryan White (including LA HAP) funds cannot be used in instances where clients have other coverage options available, such as Medicaid. For this reason, we do not have flexibility to approve LA HAP eligibility if our documentation on file indicates potential Medicaid eligibility.
Expediting processing for LA HAP applications
If returning followup information on an incomplete application to LA HAP, please indicate what is being sent. You can do this either by including the “Application Incomplete” notice from LA HAP in your fax or by adding a simple note (“Follow up information for incomplete recertification for John Doe DOB X/X/XX”) to your fax coversheet. Doing so will greatly help our Administrative Coordinator to sort and direct paperwork in a timely manner.
We also recommend that you submit all application materials together for a particular client as opposed to submitting the application first to “get in line” and following up with income or other supporting documentation later. Generally, it takes LA HAP staff longer to process incomplete applications than complete ones regardless of when the applications were originally received.
Abigail departs LA HAP
We said goodbye to one of our Client Services Specialists, Abigail Riddick, over the holiday break. Abigail has relocated to North Carolina to do work coordinating HIV research activities and we wish her well! Erin will be the point of contact for any applications which Abigail was working on prior to her departure.