(Photo not that of actual clients.)
“Alicia” has a 7-year-old son, “Efren,” with autism. She and Efren are lawfully present immigrants, but Efren is not eligible for a Social Security number because of his immigration status. When Alicia applied for Medicaid for Efren, for which he is eligible, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) would not enroll him without a Social Security number.
Suddenly, he was caught in a catch-22. The Player’s Center for Child Health tried to reason with DCF to no avail. After the Player’s Center referred Efren to the Northeast Florida Medical Legal Partnership for assistance, the NFMLP attorney filed an appeal and argued Efren was exempt from providing a Social Security number and that his benefits should continue pending the outcome of the appeal.
Alicia ultimately prevailed, and Efren was determined eligible for Medicaid. Were it not for the lawyer’s intervention, Efren would have had to forego a much-needed surgery, as well as behavioral health care.
Also, the case resulted in DCF issuing a policy statement on exceptions to requiring a Social Security number for purposes of Medicaid eligibility.
While not a comprehensive solution, the policy statement is a step toward ensuring that DCF regional employees understand who is, and who is not, required to provide a Social Security number along with their Medicaid application.
