Medi-Cal Beneficiaries Can Request the Amount of the Estate Recovery Claim

A frequent complaint from clients who have used Medi-Cal for Long Term Care and/or their surviving spouse or children has been the inability to know how much in benefits has been paid on their behalf.  This is normally important to the “well” spouse when the “ill” spouse, who was receiving Medi-Cal Long Term Care benefits, passes away and the surviving spouse is trying to understand how much in “estate recovery” Medi-Cal will make a claim for out of his or her estate at death.
As of January 1, 2017, a Medi-Cal beneficiary who may be subject to recovery or their authorized representative can submit a request to find out the amount of the Medi-Cal claim, for a fee of five dollars ($5.00).  This information can be requested once a year via the Internet, by phone or mail, and the Department of Health Services must provide the information within 90 days of receipt of the request.
You should request information if:
1.  You have a personal injury case and Medi-Cal has paid for related services;
2.  You are requesting access to records on behalf of a deceased Medi-Cal member; and
3.  You are involved in a worker’s compensation case, in which Medi-Cal has paid for services.
The form can be downloaded from www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/Pages/DHCS_4017.aspx.  http://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/Pages/DHCS_4017.aspx
Ms. MacDonald’s practice is limited to Estate Planning, Probate & Trust Administration.  Ms. MacDonald maintains her practice in the Santa Clarita Valley at 25115 Avenue Stanford, Suite A-209, Valencia, California.  She can be reached at 661-294-6464.