Keys to Federal Benefits Access
Program Examples
Click the links below to jump to program examples cited throughout the chart in different focus areas. By highlighting certain examples in this chart, however, the Justice Center is not promoting them as "best practices." They are simply efforts that involve partnerships, creative use of resources, or even longtime practices for other communities to consider.
- Colorado
- Florida
- Illinois
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Missouri
- New York
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Texas
- Washington, D.C.
Application Assistance Legislation
Legislation effective January 1, 2003, provides that inmates who were eligible for Colorado’s Medicaid program at the time they were incarcerated, or are reasonably expected to meet eligibility criteria upon release, must be given assistance in applying for Medicaid at least 90 days before release. Further, this legislation requires that individuals who were eligible for SSI before incarceration, or are reasonably expected to meet eligibility criteria upon release, must be given assistance at least 90 days before release or sooner if possible.
Source: House Bill 02-1295, General Assembly of Colorado, amending Colorado Unified Code of Corredtions, 1730 ILCS 5/3-17.
Application Training and Processing Legislation
Legislation effective January 1, 2003 requires the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, the state agency that oversees Medicaid, to provide information and training on medical assistance to each correctional facility to assist and expedite the application process for medical assistance. The legislation also requires the Department of Human Services to provide information and education regarding supplemental security income systems and processes to each correctional facility.
Source: House Bill 02-1295, General Assembly of Colorado, amending Colorado Unified Code of Corredtions, 1730 ILCS 5/3-17.
Gap Funding Initiative
The Miami-Dade County Jail capitalized on an agreement that the county has with the regional Social Security Administration office. This agreement enables the jail to temporarily cover medical and housing costs for individuals awaiting SSI/SSDI eligibility determinations and who are participants in the Eleventh Judicial Criminal Mental Health Project. This project serves individuals with serious mental illness who become involved or are at risk of becoming involved in the criminal justice system. Once the eligibility is awarded, the jail receives back payments to the date of application directly from SSA.
Source: http://jud11.flcourts.org/programs_and_services/CMHP%20Court%20Website%20Description.pdf; in discussion with Alina Perez, Miami-Dade County Mental Health Project coordinator, June 6, 2007.
Adult Probation Department Mental Health Unit
The Mental Health Unit of the Cook County Adult Probation Department is staffed with probation officers trained on mental health issues. They are qualified to assist probationers in obtaining disability and other benefits and to serve as advocates for probationers seeking mental health treatment, among other functions.
Source: http://consensusproject.org/the_report/toc/ch-III/ps16-modification-probation.
Information Sharing Program
Through an automated information system, the Cook County Jail electronically transfers its jail census on a daily basis to mental health clinics in the Chicago area. Clinic staff review the lists to see if they can identify any of their clients. The goal is to notify these clinics when one of their clients is in custody to aid in the continuation of treatment.
Source: http://consensusproject.org/the_report/toc/ch-III/ps13-intake-detention.
Community Re-Entry ID Card
In Montgomery County, MD, the jail capitalized on a memorandum of understanding that the state correctional facility had with the state division of motor vehicles to create a "community re-entry card" in partnership with the local motor vehicle administration office. The card is used as a form of identification in applications to Medicaid and food stamps. In addition, jail officials submitted an application to the regional Social Security Administration office to accept the card as a third level of identification for applications to SSI/SSDI.
Source: Based upon conversation with Gale Starkey, Re-Entry Unit manager, Montgomery County Correctional Facility and Ka Wong, Benefits Specialist, Montgomery County Correctional Facility, June 5, 2007, and materials from Craig Dowd, Montgomery County Correctional Facility.
Montgomery County Correctional Facility Income Assistance Specialist
The Montgomery County Correctional Facility partnered with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), which oversees Medical assistance, to place a DHHS employee inside the facility to serve as an income assistance specialist. Among other tasks, the specialist assesses inmates for eligibility for benefit programs. If the individual meets eligibility criteria, the specialist will then assist the individual in initiating benefit applications and compiling necessary documents.
Source: Based upon conversation with Gale Starkey, Re-Entry Unit manager, Montgomery County Correctional Facility and Ka Wong, Benefits Specialist, Montgomery County Correctional Facility, June 5, 2007, and materials from Craig Dowd, Montgomery County Correctional Facility.
Medicaid Suspension Legislation
In 2005, the Maryland legislature passed a bill requiring the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to suspend Maryland Medical Assistance Program (Medicaid) benefits for specified individuals who are incarcerated or are admitted to an institution for the treatment of mental disease; but prohibiting the department from terminating program benefits for specified individuals based on their incarceration or admission to an institution for the treatment of mental disease.
Source: http://mlis.state.md.us/2005rs/billfile/hb0990.htm.
Temporary Disability Assistance Program
In Maryland, the Temporary Disability Assistance Program offers limited cash assistance for adults who are disabled and do not have dependent children and who have also applied to other benefit programs such as SSI/SSDI and employee disability.
Source: http://www.dhr.state.md.us/fia/tdap.htm.
Homeless DDS Unit
The Boston Disability Determination Services (DDS) developed a specialized unit in 1985 to handle all disability determinations for applicants who are homeless. SSI/SSDI applications for homeless individuals are flagged at the local Social Security Administration office and assigned directly to this unit, whose staff is familiar with issues pertaining to homeless applicants.
Source: SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery. DDS Takes a Lead in Boston, http://www.dupagehealth.org/mhregister/files/workshop11/PromisingPractices%20for%20homeless.pdf (see pg. 5).
Medicaid Application Process
In Hampden County, MA, staff of Hampden County Community Corrections begin applications to Medicaid 30 days before release to avoid delays in securing health benefits.
Source: Thomas Conklin, Thomas Lincoln, and Rachel Wilson. A Public Health Model for Correctional Health Care (Ludlow, MA: Hampden County Sheriff’s Department, 2002), 49.
Discharge Mental Health Planning
At Hampden County Community Corrections (HCCC), a discharge mental health planner meets with an inmate a number of times in the three months prior to release. All inmates leave the facility with a five-day supply of medications, a prescription for renewal of medications, and an appointment to see a mental health provider in the community. (HCCC contracts with four community mental health centers.)
Source: Thomas Conklin, Thomas Lincoln, and Rachel Wilson. A Public Health Model for Correctional Health Care (Ludlow, MA: Hampden County Sheriff’s Department, 2002), 55.
Special Re-Entry Program
Missouri provides a special reentry program for inmates leaving prison. They live in transitional housing units (THUs), learn how to write a résumé, and get a state-issued nondrivers identification card needed for everything from applying for jobs to renting a movie. Staff of the THUs also help individuals obtain Social Security cards through an informal agreement with their local Social Security office. In addition, the Department of Corrections and the Department of Health and Senior Services have entered into a memorandum of understanding to assist offenders in obtaining birth certificates before release.
Source: Missouri Department of Corrections, “Missouri Reentry Process,” http://www.doc.mo.gov/reentry/MRPSandU.htm (accessed 2/25/08).
State Identification Card
The Department of Corrections and the Department of Revenue (DOR) are working together to provide state identification cards to offenders before release. To obtain a state identification card, offenders must have a Social Security card and birth certificate. All identification documentation will be scanned at the institution and electronically sent to DOR along with an electronic application and picture.
Source: Missouri Department of Corrections, “Missouri Reentry Process,” http://www.doc.mo.gov/reentry/MRPSandU.htm (accessed 2/25/08).
Transitional Correctional Unit
The Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) reviews and rules on the medical evidence of disability that is submitted to support the claim of disability through its Division of Disability Determinations. New York State has established a transitional correctional unit for persons with mental illnesses, and OTDA agreed to channel all applications from this unit to a previously determined group of only five medical examiners. These changes have resulted in increased communication and problem identification, as well as some successful eligibility determinations before release.
Source: Justice Center, Reentry Policy Council, “Case Study: New York,” available at: http://www.reentrypolicy.org/fedbens_pubs_tools.
CORP Program
In 2003, a 30-bed Community Oriented Re-entry Program (CORP) was opened at Sing Sing Correctional Facility to assist inmates with serious mental illness in their transition to the community. The CORP program contracts with the Center for Urban Community Services (CUCS), an outside agency, to help prepare applications for Social Security Benefits, Medicaid, and other entitlement programs for eligible CORP participants. Once completed, applications are forwarded to New York State Link, a transition case management program based out of the New York Office of Mental Health, which provides services to individuals with serious mental illness. New York State Link monitors the application processing and coordinates between multiple benefit agencies.
Source: Personal communication with Mike Steinbacher, clinical psychologist at the Community Oriented Re-entry Program (CORP), March 22, 2007, and http://www.omh.state.ny.us/omhweb/statewideplan/2005/chapter5.htm.
Early SSI/SSDI Application Submission
In New York, the Division of Parole has prison based staff who generally meet with an inmate three months before his or her scheduled release. At that time, the Office of Mental Health pre-release coordinator submits applications for SSI and SSDI to the Social Security office closest to the prison on behalf of the individual, if he or she may be eligible.
Source: Justice Center, Reentry Policy Council, “Case Study: New York,” available at: http://www.reentrypolicy.org/fedbens_pubs_tools.
Medicaid Suspension Legislation
In 2007, the New York State House and Senate passed a bill to amend their state social services law to enable individuals who were eligible for medical assistance before incarceration to retain that eligibility upon release. However the person would not receive any medical assistance while incarcerated, as per federal Medicaid rules that bar provision of federal matching funds to cover services for individuals in prison/jail.
Source: See http://consensusproject.org/projects/benefits/federal-benefits and scroll down to Medicaid for further explanation.
Medication Grant Program
The New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) operates a Medication Grant Program (MGP) for offenders with mental illness whose applications for Medicaid are being processed. Applicants must submit combined Medicaid/Cash Assistance/Food Stamp applications up to 45 days before or up to seven days after release; OMH provides each participant with an MGP card which can be used to pay for psychiatric medications in the community until the applicant's Medicaid eligibility is determined. This grant program was developed as a result of Kendra's Law.
Source: Justice Center, Reentry Policy Council, “Case Study: New York,” available at: http://www.reentrypolicy.org/fedbens_pubs_tools.
New York, NY, Rikers Island Single Stop Center
The Rikers Island Single Stop Center, overseen by the Center for Urban Community Services, provides benefit assistance to individuals leaving Rikers Island jail. In particular, staff of the single stop center help applicants determine eligibility for various benefit programs and complete applications.
Source: http://www.cucs.org/sites/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=40&Itemid=69.
Integrated Services Discharge Managers
The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS) hired three integrated services discharge managers to coordinate discharge planning for individuals with serious mental illnesses in three Oklahoma Department of Corrections facilities. All discharge managers have completed SOAR training (SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery) on how to complete Social Security disability benefit applications. These discharge managers have also received training from the Oklahoma Department of Human Services on navigating the Medicaid applications process.
Source: Personal communication with Bob Mann, Coordinator of Clinical Social Work Services Oklahoma Department of Corrections, March 5, 2007.
Community Mental Health Centers
The Oklahoma Department of Mental health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS) funded four community mental health centers (CMHCs) to provide intensive case management services to individuals with serious mental illnesses being released from three Department of Corrections facilities. Staff of these CMHCs are specially trained to assist these individuals in completing and submitting applications for SSI/SSDI, Medicaid, and other benefits.
Source: Personal communication with Bob Mann, Coordinator of Clinical Social Work Services Oklahoma Department of Corrections, March 5, 2007.
Benefit Access Evaluation
The Oklahoma Department of Corrections (DOC) is working with Mathematica Policy Research Inc., a policy research firm, to evaluate the impact of new discharge planning procedures on access to Medicaid when individuals with a serious mental illness are released from corrections facilities. As a part of this evaluation, researchers will coordinate with DOC; the Oklahoma Department of Mental health and Substance Abuse Services; and the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, the state Medicaid agency, to determine percentages of individuals without previous Medicaid who obtained Medicaid at discharge, among other outcomes.
Source: Personal communication with Bob Mann, Coordinator of Clinical Social Work Services Oklahoma Department of Corrections, February 26, 2008; Henry T. Ireys, "Medicaid Eligibility After Release from State Institutions" (PowerPoint presentation, Mathematica Policy Research, Baltimore, Md., September 2007).
Release Notification
On the day of release, Department of Corrections staff direct individuals to the local SSA office and fax a certificate of release to the local Department of Human Services office, which oversees Medicaid, in order to activate benefits.
Source: Henry T. Ireys, "Medicaid Eligibility After Release from State Institutions" (PowerPoint presentation, Mathematica Policy Research, Baltimore, Md., September 2007).
Oregon Presumptive Eligibility Legislation
Senate Bill 913, passed in 2005, enables the Department of Human Services to make a "presumptive determination" for chronically mentally ill individuals to receive medical benefits on release or to suspend, rather than terminate benefits.
Source: http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=105569.
Interim Incarceration Disenrollment Policy
The state of Oregon adopted the Interim Incarceration Disenrollment Policy for individuals detained for short periods of time. This policy specifies that individuals cannot be disenrolled from their health plan during their first 14 days of incarceration, during which the state continues to provide payment for Medicaid coverage. In addition, Lane County officials developed an agreement with the local agency that processes applications for Medicaid and Social Security insurance, whereby the agency will begin application processes for individuals still in custody.
Source: http://www.reentrypolicy.org/Report/PartII/ChapterII-A/PolicyStatement8/Recommendation8-K.
COMPASS
The Department of Public Welfare, which oversees Medicaid benefits, has established a Web-based application called Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Access to Social Services (COMPASS). COMPASS enables a person to apply for medical, cash, and other benefits. Individuals can log in to check on status of applications and to save or complete unfinished applications.
Source: https://www.humanservices.state.pa.us/compass/PGM/ASP/SC001.asp.
Process for Identifying Previous SSI/SSDI Applicants
Texas prison staff sends intake lists to the regional Social Security Administration office. When an inmate enters the prison system receiving SSI/SSDI, these benefits are suspended after the first full month of incarceration, and benefits are terminated after 12 months of incarceration.
Source: Justice Center, Reentry Policy Council, “Case Study: Texas," available at: http://www.reentrypolicy.org/fedbens_pubs_tools.
Benefits Eligibility Specialist and Applications Process
If an inmate wants SSI/SSDI, a Texas Correctional Office on Offenders with Mental Impairments (TCOOMI) staff member refers the individual to a benefits eligibility specialist. The benefits eligibility specialist must file a Social Security Administration application within 10 days of a referral, so that paperwork is completed ahead and submitted exactly 90 days before the inmate’s release date.
Source: Justice Center, Reentry Policy Council, “Case Study: Texas," available at: http://www.reentrypolicy.org/fedbens_pubs_tools.
TCOOMI Screening
Upon entry into prison each inmate is assessed to establish the presence of a mental illness. Inmates who have a history of receiving or a need for mental health services, are identified with an "alert code" in the offender database. The code allows the Texas Correctional Office on Offenders with Mental Impairments (TCOOMI) to quickly identify offenders who may need release planning services, including applications for benefits and/or entitlements.
Source: Justice Center, Reentry Policy Council, “Case Study: Texas," available at: http://www.reentrypolicy.org/fedbens_pubs_tools.
« Back to top
Jail Outstationed Worker
The Income Maintenance Administration within the Department of Human Services, which oversees Medicaid and food stamp eligibility, has dedicated a staff member to work inside the D.C. jail part-time. This staff member is responsible for facilitating application processing and expediting applications for inmates slated for release.
Source: Brian Haile, Alicia Smith Associates, correspondence, August 10, 2007.
Bread for the City Representative Payee Program
Bread for the City provides representative payee services to Washington, D.C., residents who need assistance in managing their personal financial affairs. The program collaborates with the D.C. Department of Mental Health (DMH), to provide services to consumers with chronic mental illness who are referred by a case manager of DMH or an affiliated Core Service Agency. The Representative Payee Program helps clients manage various types of income, including Social Security benefits (retirement or disability), SSI, and civil service pensions.
Source: http://www.breadforthecity.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?pid=207&srcid=183.