There are special procedures as follows for:
If a Temporary Assistance payee dies or is unable to continue as payee for the grant, close the case. Complete an application with a new payee as the applicant. Complete an eligibility determination to establish eligibility on all factors.
If an applicant has previously applied for or received assistance from the FSD, there should be a record of past contact. Review the existing record. If an individual has previously applied for or received assistance in any category, explore with the applicant the closing or rejection reason, and what changes have occurred since that time.
No further documentation is needed of eligibility factors such as name, date of birth, Social Security number, or citizenship, that are un-changed and which have been satisfactorily established in the existing record.
If the applicant dies before a decision is made on a pending application, if possible, complete the application.
Contact a:
to determine if they are willing and able to furnish the information necessary to establish eligibility. If there is a personal representative, administrator or executor of the estate, obtain documentation of court appointment. I there is a surviving spouse obtain verification of a refusal of letters or valid small estate affidavit.
Send all requests for information, notices, and other correspondence to the applicant's address, or to the personal representative, administrator or executor of the deceased applicant's estate, or surviving spouse who has obtained a refusal of letters or who has filed a valid small estate affidavit.
In the event there is no court appointed personal representative, administrator or executor of the deceased applicant's estate, or surviving spouse who has obtained a refusal of letters or who has filed a valid small estate affidavit and the application was received prior to the applicant's death, the FSD will follow the application process through to resolution. The FSD will make and document efforts to gather information necessary to determine eligibility on the applicant's behalf. The application must be rejected if it is not possible to obtain information needed to determine eligibility.
NOTE: Death of an applicant who has appointed an authorized representative to apply on his/her behalf ends the appointment of the authorized representative. If an application is not submitted prior to the death of the applicant an authorized representative may not file the application. However, the authorized representative may assist with an existing application filed prior to the death of the applicant/participant.
NOTE: A deceased person's application may be approved for MO HealthNet for a time period while they were living. Do not approve a cash grant for a deceased person.
When a personal representative, administrator or executor of the estate or surviving spouse who has obtained a refusal of letters or who has filed a valid small estate affidavit of a deceased person requests MO HealthNet for the deceased person, the date of request is the date the signed application is received. The date of application determines the months that can be included in the prior quarter, if prior quarter coverage is needed. See Income Maintenance Manual section 0105.010.00 SIGNING THE APPLICATION for information on who may sign the application on behalf of the deceased individual.
A court appointed personal representative, administrator or executor of the deceased applicant's estate, or surviving spouse who has obtained a refusal of letters or who has filed a valid small estate affidavit has legal authority to apply for and/or follow the application process through to resolution, including the hearing process. Obtain documentation of legal appointed status.
NOTE: Death of an applicant who has appointed an authorized representative to apply on his/her behalf ends the appointment of the authorized representative. If an application is presented by an authorized representative after the death of the applicant, it must be rejected by a desk rejection (not entered as an application request in FAMIS) and a Notice of Case Action (IM-33) form must be sent to applicant's address, indicating that the application is rejected because the applicant is deceased and appointment of authorized representative is no longer valid. A comment or note must be entered in FAMIS regarding the desk rejection of the application and the date the manual notice was sent.
NOTE: When an applicant/participant is deceased, a court appointed personal representative, administrator or executor of the estate or surviving spouse who has obtained a refusal of letters or who has filed a valid small estate affidavit can appoint another person to be an authorized representative for the applicant/participant. See Income Maintenance Manual section 0130.020 AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE(S) FOR MO HEALTHNET
If all eligibility requirements are met, approve the MO HealthNet coverage. If the deceased individual was eligible for benefits in the month that he/she died, the date of death is the termination date for the MO HealthNet coverage.
If an applicant requests MO HealthNet and any type of adult cash program at the same time, process applications together. If all information is received to approve the MO HealthNet before all necessary information needed to determine eligibility for the cash program is received, approve the MO HealthNet. When the information is received to complete the cash determination and eligibility is determined, authorize approval or rejection and send a notice advising the participant of the change.
An inmate of the Department of Corrections, a public institution, is not eligible for MO HealthNet benefits while the individual is incarcerated. Inmates who are admitted as an inpatient for 24 hours or more to a medical facility outside the correctional institution may be eligible for MO HealthNet benefits. The inmate must meet all other eligibility factors for the specific program. Eligibility is limited to the days the inmate is inpatient in the medical facility.