What's new at MLS

We have continued to receive calls and emails from community organizations and/or SNAP recipients directly who have received SNAP termination notices. We have been called by employers who were asked to produce verification for persons that have not worked for them.  We have seen a flurry of…

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Press Release Contact: Kim Haberlin – 617-470-9686 Claire Cooper – 617-921-6870 STATE WILL PURSUE DUAL TRACK TO PREPARE HEALTH INSURANCE EXCHANGE WEBSITE FOR FALL 2014 OPEN ENROLLMENT Sarah Iselin, Optum to present responsible…

We are writing to alert you to two recent Operations Memos where DTA has decided that when SNAP benefits are not being used fast enough or are "un-accessed" - DTA has a process for first taking the SNAP benefits "offline" and, if they remain un-accessed,…

DTA has issued new guidance, Operations Memo 2014-24, that changes how DTA confirms information they get about a SNAP or cash recipient's new job, an increase in wages or a problem with a Social Security number (SSN).  DTA typically gets wage information from the…

  The NEXT Boston-based SNAP Coalition Meeting is Tuesday, March 25th from 10 to Noon at St Francis House in Boston. The Coalition meeting will include discussion of the Farm Bill and Massachusetts "H-EAT program".  A more detailed agenda will follow.  Meanwhile, we…

See below for latest info forwarded from MassHealth & the Connector --   Temporary Coverage. Most people applying for help paying for insurance have gotten temporary coverage (MassHealth Standard Fee for Service; They get notice but no card,…

Here is a link to the  income guidelines for MassHealth effective March 1st. There are two charts.  The first from MLRI includes a couple of new features.   First of all, the 100% poverty guidelines used for MassHealth Elders includes the $20 income disregard in its…

The latest news from the Health Connector & MassHealth- coverage in Commonwealth Care and Medical Security Plan extended to June 30; temporary coverage for people who applied for subsidized insurance in January 2014 and a "fast path" for people with unsubsidized…

At 2:35 PM today, the United States Senate voted to pass the "Farm Bill" or Agricultural Act of 2014. The Act includes $8.6B in cuts to the SNAP program, cuts which can potentially affect up to 125,000 Massachusetts SNAP households, many of whom are seniors and persons with disabilities,…

Tomorrow the Governor releases his proposed budget for the next fiscal year.  Meanwhile, the health coverage landscape gets ever more confusing. Attached and reprinted below is our best effort to describe the Jan 1 transition with links to information from MassHealth & the…