Information about Daniels Re-Verification
 |
Information |
|
The Bureau of TennCare wants to share the most accurate and up-to-date information regarding the Daniels re-verification process. This re-verification process will allow the Bureau to make sure only those Tennesseans who qualify for TennCare benefits remain on the program.
In January 2009, TennCare received approval from the federal courts to begin re-verifying the eligibility of approximately 147,000* members in the Daniels class. The Daniels class refers to enrollees who once received Supplemental Security Income (SSI) but no longer do.
For 21-years, a court injunction prevented TennCare from checking the eligibility of these enrollees. This means some people remained on the program even though they may not actually be eligible for the program. TennCare checks the eligibility of its 1.1 million other enrollees every year, and federal statute requires that Medicaid agencies re-determine eligibility at least once a year. The lifting of the injunction will now allow the Bureau to comply with federal requirements and ensure that it treats all of its enrollees equally.
Letters will be sent out to members of the Daniels class asking them to provide the TennCare with updated information which will allow the state to see if they qualify for TennCare benefits. Due to the court injunction, in some cases the information the state has for some in the Daniels class is more than 20 years old. This re-verification process does NOT mean that 147,000 people will be cut from TennCare. In fact, we already know more than 106,000 still qualify for comprehensive, government-sponsored health insurance either through Medicaid or Medicare.
Brief History- In January 2009, a federal judge lifted a 21-year-old court injunction which prevented the Bureau from re-verifying the eligibility of those individual enrollees in the Daniels class. The approximately 147,000 enrollees in the Daniels class once received Supplemental Security Income (SSI) but no longer do.
On May 1, 2009, TennCare sent out requests for information (RFIs) to approximately 40,000 enrollees in the Daniels class in order to find out more information about these individuals. TennCare will continue to send out approximately 40,000 RFIs on the first of every month until all of those in the Daniels class for whom we need updated information have been sent an RFI. Those who provide information, allowing us to verify that they are indeed eligible for TennCare benefits, will remain on the program.
*This Web site previously stated that the Daniels class was composed of 154,000 individuals. This number was originally used in the motion filed in federal court in February 2008 to lift the injunction. Since that time, the Bureau removed from the class all members that were incarcerated and those who had since re-qualified for SSI benefits before beginning the re-verification process with the remaining 147,000 enrollees in the group.
