How to request a
Medicaid fair hearing
By Martha A. Churchill
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| Sometimes the person with a disability
asks for what he or she needs, but CMH (Community Mental Health)
just won't cooperate. There is an easy way to get help,
if you live in Michigan. Just write a short letter to
the Administrative Tribunal in Lansing and explain what you
asked for, and when. Do
not send a letter to the Administrative Tribunal unless you
have tried to work out your problem with your local CMH.
Try to keep records of who you talk to, and when. However,
if you don't have notes like that, you can still send a letter. |
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Here is the address:
Administrative Tribunal
Michigan Department of Community Health
P.O. Box 30195
Lansing, MI 48909
If you are a parent, family member, or friend,
you can send the letter yourself. The person with a disability
should also sign the letter. Or, you can ask the person with
a disability to sign a statement saying that he or she wants you to
help with the request for services. Send that along with your
letter, so the Administrative Tribunal will know that the person with
a disability wants you to help out.
As a family member or friend, you do NOT have
to be an attorney to help the person with a disability.
After you send the letter, someone who works
at your CMH office will call and ask you to attend a meeting to discuss
your problem. That is a good opportunity to obtain the services
you did not get before.
Do not feel pressured to dismiss your request
for a hearing, just because someone at CMH promises you the sun, the
moon, and the stars. Wait and see if the services are actually
delivered, and then dismiss your request.
The people at CMH do not look forward to having
a hearing request hanging over their heads. They may be more
willing to help you while you have a request pending. Use this
time to make a clear statement of what you need, and stick to it.
It is a good idea to ask for just one or two
things, do not send a laundry list of little irritations to the Administrative
Tribunal. Use the Medicaid fair hearing request for important
services, and limit yourself to just one or two things that are essential.
For a sample Request for Medicaid Fair Hearing
letter, click on REQUEST. For
a sample letter appointing you as the disabled person's representative,
click on REP SAMPLE.
For information about the sorts of things a
disabled person may be entitled to under Medicaid laws, click on MEDICAID
PAYS. To read my essay on how to obtain independent housing
for your DD son or daughter, click on INDEPENDENT.
I am still working on this essay, and in the
next few weeks I will be adding more information, so come back to
this web site and see what I have learned about how to bring a successful
Medicaid fair hearing request.
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