DHA Case No. MDD 208892 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals August 22, 2023) (DHS) ↓ Download PDF In making a disability determination, the Disability Determination Bureau (DDB) applies a 5-step test. Step 5 considers whether the individual can adjust to types of work the individual has not performed in the past, considering his or […] Read more
Benjamin S. Wright
DHA Case No. MDV 208757 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals July 27, 2023) (DHS) ↓ Download PDF To waive the entire divestment penalty, an undue hardship waiver request must be filed within 20 days of the undue hardship notice letter mailed by the agency. If filed later, the earliest effective date is the date […] Read more
DHA Case No. CWA 208804 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals September 8, 2023) (DHS) ↓ Download PDF The Medicaid Eligibility Handbook counts some income even though it is unavailable—garnishments, for example. In this case, the petitioner had $300 garnished monthly for a tax debt but his patient liability was not reduced to compensate. ALJ John Tedesco […] Read more
DHA Case No. FCP 207586 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals July 20, 2023) (DHS) ↓ Download PDF MCOs in the Family Care program may authorize residential services—such as placement in an Adult Family Home (AFH)—only if they are the most cost-effective option, if they are needed to support the member’s long-term care outcomes, or […] Read more
DHA Case No. SSO 208238 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals June 22, 2023) (DHS) ↓ Download PDF Wisconsin pays a state supplement to SSI recipients who are Wisconsin residents. In this case, the state SSI office claimed an overpayment because the Social Security Administration coded the petitioner as a California resident from December 2021 […] Read more
DHA Case No. FCP 208218 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals June 12, 2023) (DHS) ↓ Download PDF Cost share reductions are effective the month of the change report, even if the actual change in income or expense was earlier. In this case, the petitioner enrolled in Family Care with a cost share effective November […] Read more
DHA Case No. CWA 208193 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals October 2, 2023) (DHS) ↓ Download PDF When DHS increases a member’s cost share, it has the burden of proof on appeal. In this rather messy case, it was clear that the cost share should have been lower but it was not clear whose […] Read more
DHA Case No. HMO 208074 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals June 12, 2023) (DHS) ↓ Download PDF Medical Assistance does not cover services that DHS deems experimental. In this case, the petitioner was denied coverage of an Intracept spinal procedure to alleviate back pain because it was deemed experimental. ALJ Brian Schneider found no […] Read more
DHA Case No. FCP 208068 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals August 9, 2023) (DHS) ↓ Download PDF To be functionally eligible for Family Care, a person must fall into one of the program’s target groups in addition to needing a nursing home level of care. In this case, the petitioner’s primary diagnosis was schizophrenia […] Read more
DHA Case No. MGE 207353 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals June 21, 2023) (Decision on Remand) (DHS) ↓ Download PDF Amember’s patient liability can be reduced to allow payment of medical or remedial expenses that the member “has incurred, is actually paying, and is legally obligated to pay.” In this case, the petitioner verified […] Read more
DHA Case No. MQB 207807 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals July 7, 2023) (DHS) ↓ Download PDF QMB benefits cannot normally be backdated (compare MQB 207494), but an ALJ can order backdating following a fair hearing. In this case, the Social Security Administration conceded that its own error caused a 3-month delay in verification […] Read more
DHA Case No. FCP 173457 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals September 15, 2016) (DHS) ↓ Download PDF The Medicaid Eligibility Handbook used to direct that the snapshot date for a spousal asset assessment was the “date of the first request for Community Waivers.” In this case, the petitioner was determined functionally eligible on August […] Read more
DHA Case No. MKB 200031 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals January 14, 2021) (DHS) ↓ Download PDF Mosaic Down Syndrome and non-mosaic Down Syndrome are treated differently under the Social Security disability rules. The latter is listed as a severe impairment and automatically meets the requirements; the former is not. So for mosaic Down […] Read more
DHA Case No. MGE 203793 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals December 23, 2021) (DHS) ↓ Download PDF Income is not counted as a resource in the month it is received. In this case, the petitioner had income of $3,660.10, but his checking account balance at the end of the month was only $983.80. The […] Read more
DHA Case No. MKB 207607 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals April 28, 2023) (DHS) ↓ Download PDF To qualify for the Katie Beckett Medicaid program, a child must meet the Social Security standards for childhood disability, which requires “a disabling impairment … that causes marked and severe functional limitations.” In this case, the child […] Read more