Clarifying information
The Alien Medical Programs (AMP) includes:
- The federally-funded Alien Emergency Medicaid (AEM) (WAC 182-507-0110); and
- The state-funded Long-Term Care (LTC) program (WAC 182-507-0125).
Note: AEM applications are ONLY processed by Community Service Division (CSD) and Health Care Authority (HCA) specialty staff.
AMPs have the following program codes: K03, L04, L24, N21, N25, and S07.
AEM is for individuals who have a qualifying medical emergency and do not qualify for any other Apple Health program due to citizenship/immigration requirements under WAC 182-503-0535. This includes qualified aliens who have not met the 5-year and are not exempt from the 5-year bar, nonpregnant nonqualified aliens, and undocumented individuals.
To qualify for AEM, an individual must have or need at least one of the following:
- A qualifying emergent medical condition such as emergency room care, inpatient admission, or outpatient surgery;
- A cancer treatment plan;
- Dialysis treatment;
- Antirejection medication for a post organ transplant;
Assessment and treatment of COVID-19 as a qualifying emergency ended with the public health emergency on May 11, 2023.
*LTC applications are coordinated and processed by Aging and Long-Term Services and Support (ALTSA).
Contact Emily Watts for all noncitizen LTC applications and referrals.
LTC for non citizens includes:
- L04 for nursing facility, and
- L24 for LTC in the home or in an alternative living facility.
Note: The state-funded long-term care program for noncitizens has limited slots due to funding restrictions. A slot must be available and pre-authorized in order for this program to be considered. It covers nursing facility, in-home personal care, or residential services in an alternate living facility. All applications for state-funded long-term care services are coordinated and processed by ALTSA and require prior authorization from the ALTSA program manager. Specific instructions are in the clarifying information for the state-funded long-term care program for noncitizens.
The DSHS Specialized Medical Unit (SMU) or HCA MEDS Specialized Staff process applications as outlined below:
DSHS-Classic Medicaid
DSHS/CSD processes AEM cases under Classic Apple Health when:
- Individual is age 65 or older and is not a caretaker for a child under age 19;
- Individual is eligible for Medicare
HCA – MAGI Medicaid
HCA processes AEM applications under MAGI Medicaid when:
- Individual is age 19 through 64
- Individual is not eligible for Medicare; and
- Follows MAGI rules established through the Healthplanfinder.
Submitting an application
DSHS Classic Medicaid:
Applications must be submitted through Washington Connection or by completing a Washington Apple Health Application for ABD / LTC (18-005). Follow the instructions on the 18-005 form for submitting the application.
HCA MAGI-based AEM
Apply online at www.wahealthplanfinder.org; or by
Submitting a paper application (HCA 18-001):
- Write "AEM" on the top of the application
- Write the date coverage needs to begin; and
- Fax the completed application to: 1-866-841-2267
Routing Misdirected Applications (For internal HCA and DSHS AEM specialty staff only):
- If the CSO, HCS or HCA receives a Form HCA 18-005 for AMP (non LTC):
Route the application via DMS to CSO 132@AEM for processing.
- If the CSO, HCS or HCA receives a Form HCA18-001 for AMP (non LTC):
Route the application via DMS to @AEM076.
Supporting medical documents
Both HCA MAGI-based and DSHS Classic AEM require the following supporting documents based on emergent condition:
- Emergency room care:
- Emergency room treatment page(s)
- Copy of the completed hospital claim form (UB04)
- Outpatient surgery care:
- Operative notes (description of procedure completed)
- Emergency room treatment page(s); and
- Copy of the completed hospital claim form (UB04)
- Inpatient admission:
- History and physical
- Hospital discharge summary
- Copy of the completed hospital claim form (UB04)
- Cancer treatment:
- Cancer treatment plan
- Dialysis treatment:
- Current dialysis flow charts from dialysis center;
- Treatment plan from the attending physician
- Antirejection treatment for a post organ transplant
- Treatment plan from the attending physician or provider
HCA medical consultant approval
AEM applications cannot be approved without prior authorization from an HCA medical consultant.
The specialized eligibility worker makes the referral to the HCA medical consultant team via the AMP barcode referral system when:
- Financial eligibility has been determined;
- The required supported medical documents have been received; and
- A NGMA approval has been received when required (only applies to DSHS Classic).
View a AEM process PDF.
Worker responsibilities
Both HCA and DSHS process AEM applications, depending on whether the AEM is relatable to a MAGI-based Apple Health program or Classic Apple Health (aged, blind, or disabled) program.
- HCA processes AEM MAGI-based Apple Health applications for:
- Applicants between ages 19 – 64 who are not entitled to Medicare.
- DSHS processes AEM Classic Apple Health applications for:
- Applicants age 65 or older and not a caretaker for a child under age 19,
- Applicants receiving Medicare
MAGI-based Apple Health
Processing the application
- Review the individual's immigration status to ensure they are not eligible for any other MAGI programs. AEM is a program of last resort and only available to the following:
- Undocumented individuals;
- Qualified aliens who have not met the 5-year bar and are not exempt from the 5-year bar; and
- Nonpregnant nonqualified aliens
- Is the individual seeking or receiving long-term care services?
- If yes, refer to the Aging and Long-Term Support Administration (ALTSA). Send an email to Emily Watts at HCS indicating the name, client ID, type of LTC services needed, and dates services are needed.
- Continue processing the AEM request for medical assistance pending the result of the ALTSA prior authorization request. The HCS program manager will ensure the LTC request is followed up on if a slot is approved on the state-funded program. There is no need to forward documents in DMS to HCS or to the LTC Specialty Team
- If no, continue processing.
- Complete the AEM referral/checklist in barcode as follows:
- If not already provided, send a request for information letter HCA 12-361 to the individual for required documents on referral/checklist.
- If the individual is still hospitalized at time of application and after contact with the hospital, the discharge date cannot be determined, refer to HCA medical consultant with the following:
- Admission history and physical (signed by the admission doctor);
- The most recent physician notes; and
- Note from the worker that the individual is still inpatient.
- Once all documents are provided, forward the referral/checklist and documents to the HCA medical consultant through the Barcode AEM Referral system.
- AEM applications cannot be approved until the HCA medical consultant has approved the AEM referral. The HCA medical consultant can be contacted at:
Health Care Authority
Health Care Benefits and Utilization Management
MS 45506
Telephone: 800-562-3022 FAX: 360-586-1471
All communication pertaining to an AEM referral should be made through the Barcode AEM Referral system.
- Once the AEM referral is returned by the medical consultant, follow these steps on processing the referral. Approval and denial letters must be manually generated out of the Washington Healthplanfinder.
- Add the following free-from text to approval letters:
- (Individual's name) has been approved Washington Apple Health, Alien Emergency Medical from (date) to (date).
- Add the following WAC and free-form text to denial letters:
- WAC 182-507-0110 - We have reviewed your case and you are not eligible for any HCA/DSHS medical program. We also reviewed your eligibility for the Alien Emergency Medical program and you do not meet the following:
- Have not had surgery to treat cancer, and are not receiving chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy to treat cancer; or
- Are not immediately starting or receiving dialysis to treat acute renal failure or end-stage renal disease; or
- Are not receiving antirejection medication for a post organ transplant.
- Do not have a qualifying emergency condition
- ACES Online calculates the certification period.
- If an AEM application is denied without having to make a referral to the HCA medical consultant, force close the application in the Washington Healthplanfinder with a 535 code and add the following WAC and free-form text:
WAC 182-507-0110 We have reviewed your case and you are not eligible for any HCA/DSHS medical program. We also reviewed your eligibility for the Alien Medical program and you do not meet the following:
- Have not had surgery to treat cancer, and are not receiving chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy to treat cancer; or
- Are not immediately starting or receiving dialysis to treat acute renal failure or end-stage renal disease; or
- Are not receiving antirejection medication for a post organ transplant.
- Do not have a qualifying emergency condition
Classic Apple Health (Medicaid)
Note: Referrals to the HCA Medical Consultant team without all required documentation will be considered incomplete and not accepted. They will be returned and will need to be resubmitted. Incomplete requests will not be pended by the medical consultant for completed documents.
Note: Separate medical AUs for each eligible individual should always be established even when an AU could have more than one eligible individual. Each individual needs their own AMP Barcode referral.
Classic Apple Health (Medicaid)
Processing
- Ensure that the AEM application is relatable to a Classic Medicaid program. These would typically include:
- Individuals age 65 or older and not a caretaker for a child under age 19;
- Individuals eligible for Medicare;
- Complete the AEM Referral/ Checklist in Barcode as follows:
- If not already provided, send a request for information letter to the individual for the required supporting medical documents on referral/checklist.
- If the individual is still hospitalized at time of application and after contact with the hospital, the discharge date cannot be determined, refer to HCA medical consultant with the following:
- Admission History and Physical (signed by the admission doctor);
- The most recent physician notes; and
- Note from the worker that the individual is still inpatient.
- Once all documents are provided, forward the referral/checklist and documents to the HCA medical consultant through the Barcode AEM Referral system.
- AEM applications cannot be approved until the HCA medical consultant has approved the AEM Referral. The HCA medical consultant can be contacted at:
Health Care Authority
Health Care Benefits and Utilization Management
MS 45506 Telephone: 800-562-3022 FAX: 360-586-1471 All communication pertaining to an AMP referral should be made through the Barcode AEM Referral system.
Once the AEM referral is returned by the medical consultant, follow the ACES manual on how to process.
Note: Leaving the Approval Source field blank will result in the AU being denied. This field should only be left blank for applications being denied when a Barcode referral to the HCA medical consultant is not appropriate.
Note: Noncitizen children are eligible for full-scope CN coverage through MAGI through the end of the month in which they turn 19. Young adults age 19-21 who are hospitalized for over 30 days may be eligible for either MAGI based new adult coverage OR Institutional Family coverage using K03. If the individual meets these criteria and is NOT eligible for MAGI-based new adult coverage, refer to the HCA for a K03 eligibility determination. The individual will still have to meet the criteria in Section 2 above. Send an email indicating the individual needs AEM under the K03 program.
- ACES calculates a certification period for the individual. Verify the certification period and adjust in ACES accordingly, using the coverage end date given by the HCA medical consultant. Certification periods for AEM:
- Cannot be more than 12 months for non-spenddown AUs;
- Cannot be less than 1 month or more than 6 months for spenddown AUs;
- Won't be synchronized with other related AUs; and
- Won't continue beyond the end date when a renewal request (for instance, in the case of dialysis or cancer treatment) is initiated or received but not completed.
Note: During renewal processing, the system won't auto-extend the certification period in order to sync up renewal cycles. For certification periods less than 60 days, ACES does not send out renewal forms or notices because the renewal cycle is not triggered.
Note: If the approval dates span more than one calendar month, the certification period shown in ACES includes all months within the approval period. However, the certification period in ACES for AEM does not show the actual approval period in ProviderOne. Coverage in ProviderOne will be for the actual dates approved.
Example: Approval period is 6/5/xx - 7/12/xx. The certification period is 6/1/xx - 7/31/xx; however, eligibility is only established from 6/5/xx - 7/12/xx.
If this is a spenddown AU, the AU begin date would be the date spenddown is met, which could be no earlier than 6/5/xx.
Note: Once the HCA medical consultant-approved coverage period has expired, a new application, referral checklist, and medical documentation are required.
- If an AEM application is denied, update the approval source field under Alien Medical on the ALAS screen in ACES with "N".
- ACES will deny the AU with reason code 276 - No Medical Emergency, with auto text reading: "Your medical condition doesn't meet the emergency requirements."
- You will need to add the following free-form text:
We have reviewed your application and you are not eligible for any HCA/DSHS medical program. You are not eligible for the Alien Emergency Medical Program because you did not receive medically necessary treatment for a qualifying emergency medical condition.
Referrals for prior authorization to the Home and Community Services (HCS) residential program manager
If the client needs Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) at home, in a residential setting or in a nursing facility while processing the AMP request, a prior authorization request must be made to the HCS residential program manager.
For CSD or HCA staff who are processing an application which also includes a request for LTSS services, send an email referral to Emily Watts.
Indicate:
- Name
- Client ID
- Where client is located
- Type of LTSS service needed (in home, residential setting or nursing facility)
- Dates of service needed
Region 1 HCS:
Region 2 King County HS: Mathew Sipes
Region 2 North HCS: Mathew Sipes
Region 3 HCS: Laurie Alvarino
State-funded long-term care for noncitizens
Continue processing the AEM request for medical assistance pending the result of the HCS prior authorization request. If the HCA medical consultant:
- Approves medical condition for AEM coverage, process the non institutional medical coverage using coverage group S07.
- Denies medical condition. Deny the S07 and mark all documents complete.
- The HCS program manager will coordinate the LTSS referral if a slot is approved for the state-funded program. There is no need to forward documents in DMS to HCS.