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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 11, 2008
CONTACT
Marla Augustine, DHHS, Communications and Legislative Services, (402-471-4047), marla.augustine@dhhs.ne.gov
DHHS to Hold Two Hearings September 18 in Lincoln
(Hearings relate to: Aid to Dependent Children; Assistance to the Aged,
Blind, or Disabled; Medicaid; State Disability Program)
Lincoln – The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
will hold two public hearings September 18, 2008. The hearings will take place in Lincoln
at the State Office Building, 301 Centennial Mall South, Lower Level Conference Room
‘A.’
Public Hearing at 1:00 p.m. CT
The Division of Children & Family Services and Division of Medicaid & Long-Term
Care are holding this hearing to accept comments on proposed changes to regulations for
Transitional Medical Assistance (Medicaid) related to Aid to Dependent Children (ADC).
The proposed changes will establish, in Department regulations an Eighth Circuit Court
ruling on the determination of eligibility for Transitional Medical Assistance (TMA). The
Court ruled that the Department must count certain additional qualifying months in
determining TMA eligibility for families whose incomes have increased enough to disqualify
them for ADC assistance.
Public Hearing at 2:00 p.m. CT
The Division of Children & Family Services and Division of Medicaid & Long-Term
Care are holding this hearing to accept comments on proposed changes to regulations for
the Assistance to the Aged, Blind, or Disabled (AABD) Program; Medical Assistance
(Medicaid) Program; and State Disability Program. The proposed changes will:
- Provide that revocable, assignable, or saleable annuities are counted as resources
(assets) in the determination of AABD/Medicaid eligibility;
- Modify provisions on the assessment of resources and transfers of resources between a
spouse in a nursing home and the spouse in the community;
- Define and provide for the treatment of an "endowment policy";
- Clarify the treatment of annuity transactions on or after February 8, 2006, the
effective date of the federal Deficit Reduction Act, which included provisions designed to
discourage the use of financial techniques intended to protect wealth while enabling
access to public benefits;
- Provide for the recovery of all overpayments, regardless of cause; and make various
clarifications and updates to the regulations.
Anyone may attend and comment at the hearings or submit comments in writing. Written
comments must be postmarked or received by 5:00 p.m. CT, September 20, 2008. They should
be sent to DHHS Regulatory Analysis and Integration, 301 Centennial Mall South, P.O. Box
95026, Lincoln, NE 68509; faxed to 402-742-2382; or e-mailed to Rules.Regs@dhhs.ne.gov.
If auxiliary aids or reasonable accommodations are needed to participate in a hearing,
please call 402-471-9022. Persons with hearing impairments may call the DHHS at
402-471-9570 (voice and TDD) or the Nebraska Relay System at 711 or 800-833-7352 TDD.
Draft regulations and DHHS hearing notices are available online at: http://www.dhhs.ne.gov/reg/hearings/.
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