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Remember: Keep Your Medicaid Case File Up to Date

When certain life events happen such as moving, getting a new job, or having a baby, it can be easy to forget to let your Medicaid caseworker know about the change. However, reporting changes to your Medicaid case file at the County Assistance Office (CAO) is of the utmost importance. It is not only a requirement to keep your Medicaid coverage, but reporting life changes can also save you a hassle down the road. For instance, if you move and forget to update your address, your annual renewal packet won't get to you and you could lose your coverage! Additionally, a failure to report a change in income that would have made you ineligible can lead to a penalty known as an Overpayment. 

Below is a complete list of the types of changes you must report to your CAO caseworker:

  • A new mailing address

  • A new job or a change of job

  • A change or expected change in residency (including plans to leave Pennsylvania or the county, even if you plan to return)

  • A change in U.S. citizen or immigration status 

  • Individuals moving in or out of your home (including friends, a newborn, or other relatives)

  • A change in marital status (including separation, divorce, remarriage, annulment, or common-law marriage)

  • A change in earned income or unearned income, including if you get a lump sum 
    (NOTE: this change must be reported by the tenth day of the month after the individual receives the income.) 

  • A change in income-expense deductions

  • A change in expected medical expenses that were used for eligibility

  • The purchase or sale of real or personal property (including tools, equipment and stock)

  • Buying, selling, trading, or converting bank accounts, life insurance, vehicles or other resources

  • A change in student status

  • A pregnancy or the end of a pregnancy

  • A change in medical insurance coverage (such as Medicare or commercial insurance)

  • A change in a condition that was used to consider you disabled for the purposes of qualifying for Medicaid (for example, an improvement in a medical condition)

  • A change that requires the CAO to allow good cause for stopping Medical Assistance for Workers with Disabilities (MAWD) monthly premium payments (for example, a change in or loss of employment, or a health problem)

  • Any other changes that may affect eligibility
     

To report changes to your case file, you can either a) submit the change online through your My COMPASS Account, or b) call the Statewide Customer Service Center toll free number at 1-877-395-8930 (in Philadelphia, call 215-560-7226.)