Colliton

per month and must be proven by filing reports. If a person fails to demonstrate he or she has met the 80 hour per month requirement for a period of 3 months, that person loses health insurance coverage for the entire calendar year. So continued eligibility for health insurance requires continued reporting throughout the year.

Reporting must be done exclusively online through the Arkansas Department of Human Services’ online portal. No reporting of compliance with the work requirement will be permitted in person, by phone or by mail. All reporting must be done online. By June 5, 27,140 low income adults ages 30 to 49 who now participate in the Medicaid expansion program must either report they completed 80 hours of work or community engagement activities during the previous month or that they qualify for an exemption. By September 5, the number who must report is 93,471 and starting in 2019 all Medicaid expansion beneficiaries from ages 19 to 49 will have to report or lose health insurance.

It might be noted that people with incomes no higher than slightly above the federal poverty level might not have access to computers to report their work history. Also, when tens of thousands and more all need to report at the same time to a single online portal the possibility that the online source might be overwhelmed could be considered. There is even another likely possibility which is that people who are affected might not hear about the requirement at all. The likelihood has been discussed that many low income individuals do not have Internet access, a cell phone, personal transportation or even stable housing.

Arkansas is allocating a total of $1.1 million in new funding for administering the work requirement program and administration is to be handled by a department that already handles work requirements for food stamps and TANF. Janet Colliton, Esq. is a Certified Elder Law Attorney and limits her practice, to elder law, retirement and estate planning, Medicaid, Medicare, life care, and special needs at 790 E. Market St., Suite 250, West Chester, Pa., 19382, 610-436-6674, colliton@ collitonlaw.com. She is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and, with Jeffrey Jones, CSA, cofounder of Life Transition Services, LLC, a service for families with longterm care needs. Tune in on Wednesdays at 4 p.m. to radio WCHE 1520, “50+ Planning Ahead,” with Janet Colliton, Colliton Elder Law Associates, and Phil McFadden, Home Instead Senior Care.