ATLANTA — The COVID-19 pandemic was officially declared over, as far as the national emergency, on May 11.
As a result, a number of pandemic recovery and assistance programs and regulations are changing or going away, ending some federal health benefits for Americans.
Among those benefit changes are those applied for Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and in Georgia, PeachCare, a state-operated medical insurance program for uninsured children from low-income families.
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Georgia health officials announced the programs’ beneficiaries would need to recertify their contact information and eligibility back in May 2022, ahead of the May 11, 2023 end of national emergency.
In Georgia, that means the first deadline for people to requalify for benefits is just five days away. Georgians with Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids with May redetermination deadlines have until Wednesday, May 31, to submit the necessary information to finish renewing their benefits.
The members with redetermination deadlines in the future will get an email or letter 45 days before coverage is set to expire, as well as another reminder on the 12th of their redetermination month, according to officials.
According to the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH), there are more than 12,500 Medicaid and/or PeachCare for Kids renewals due by the end of May. Of those, just over 5,000 have been automatically renewed.
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While performing the renewal of coverage process, DCH said the Department of Human Services (DHS) had reached out to about 6,500 beneficiaries, who have not yet responded to contact or sent back documents needed to renew their medical benefits.
“Our dedicated teams are working hard to make sure that eligible members are aware of redetermination and can complete the process to continue receiving Medicaid or PeachCare for Kids coverage,” DHS Commissioner Candice Broce said in April. “All Medicaid or PeachCare for Kids® members should visit Gateway now to confirm their individual redetermination month and learn how to prepare. You should also continue to keep your contact information up to date so we can reach you with notices about your coverage.”
State officials said for those whose coverage renewal is denied, those contacted by state officials will get a letter telling them why, and will be given another 90 days to resubmit documents if the reason given for termination was “failed to submit” their paperwork.
Additionally, Georgia’s coverage site states that those who lose their benefits will “have 30 days from the date of denial to request a Fair Hearing and potentially get your coverage retroactively reinstated.”
Early federal estimates for how many Georgians could see coverage changes with the end of the expanded programs put the number north of 700,000 patients.
“Because we have an integrated eligibility system, we were able to review and retain and additional 66,127 cases in April through our work on SNAP and TANF benefits,” a DHS spokeswoman said. “Those 66,127 were not due for closure in May, but we were able to renew them as a bonus to our other work.”
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The review of benefits and who is eligible was also impacted by an earlier end to some COVID-19-related benefits, such as the expanded food stamp programs through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Georgia stopped renewing its pandemic SNAP benefits in June 2022, according to USDA records, ending the emergency allotments for an estimated 776,885 households in the state.
Nationally, the pandemic-expanded SNAP benefits ended in February. Georgia’s temporary student SNAP benefits will end this June.
Turning back to medical coverage, DHS has a website with resources to answer questions and understand options for those in need of continued assistance.
A state-operated enrollment program will begin later in 2023 called Georgia Pathways, allowing eligible Georgians aged 19 to 64 to apply for medical coverage.
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