State urges people to complete Medicaid renewal packets; procedural denials resume Jan. 1

The Nevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services (DWSS) encourages people to update their address and complete the Medicaid renewal packet for their eligibility to be reviewed.

Denials for procedural causes, like incomplete paperwork and incorrect address information, will start on Jan. 1, 2024, for renewal packets mailed in November.  

Only the individuals who received the packet and didn’t meet the procedural qualifications will be disqualified, while all other household members who are eligible will have their Medicaid automatically renewed. 

Previously, DWSS ended health insurance for the entire household, including children on the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), if one member of the household was denied for procedural causes instead of just the individual.  The state reinstated coverage for the 114,000 people who lost their health care for paperwork problems in September for another 12 months. 

Nevada started the Medicaid “unwinding” process in June at the end of pandemic-era requirements that states continue coverage for people enrolled in Medicaid without requalification. In the ensuing months, Nevada had one of the nation’s highest procedural termination rates, with civil rights organizations like NAACP,  Protect Our Care, the National Council of Urban Indian Health, and the Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund joined by Nevada Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford in his capacity as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus calling for a pause on procedural denials in November.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in September required Nevada and other states to pause disenrollment because of what they described as a “state systems issue” that led to “inappropriately disenrolling children and other enrollees, even when the state had information indicating the person remained eligible.”

CMS said states should pause procedural disenrollment “unless they could ensure all eligible people are not improperly disenrolled due to this issue.”

DWWS in November said that procedural disenrollment would resume in January.

DWWS has been updating guidelines while Medicaid procedural denials have been paused. As those updates are complete, household members who pass the automated renewal process will have Medicaid renewed for 12 months. Only individuals who were not verified via that process will be mailed a renewal packet. 

A letter will be sent to individuals if any additional information may be needed to process the renewal. 

DWSS encourages all Medicaid members to the Update My Address website and provide their current contact information. 

For more information, visit the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services website.