The Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) and the Department of Social Services (DSS) will resume its normal renewal process for all 2.2 million members after more than two years of continuous health coverage regardless of changes in members’ circumstances. DMAS and DSS will begin sending renewal letters to some Medicaid members as early as March 18, 2023, with closures starting no earlier than April 30, 2023.

To help you understand the renewal process and educate members, DMAS is hosting seven virtual Town Hall meetings, to include our DSS colleagues, that are tailored to specific audience groups.  The 1-hour virtual sessions will cover topics such as Medicaid unwinding background, renewal process plans and partnerships, unwinding communications, outreach and engagement efforts and more.

See the table below for details and links to register for the Town Hall meetings. If you are unable to attend, visit www.coverva.org/en/phe-planning and click on the “Toolkit and Materials” box on the right side of the page to find posters, FAQs and more about the renewal process in multiple languages. These resources are available to you to educate members about how they can prepare for their Medicaid renewal.

Click on the audience topic for more information and to register.

We invite all community partners, stakeholders, and members to join us as we share information about how resuming to normal operations will impact members and how Medicaid partners can assist during the transition.

The introduction of the new Cardinal Care name for all Medicaid health coverage programs also means new identification (ID) cards for some Medicaid members. Some members may receive new cards from their managed care organization with the new Cardinal Care logo, and some Medicaid members who are newly-eligible after January 1, 2023, will receive a new card. To help clarify any confusion, we’ve created flyers and posters that you can print and display in your office to show what cards are valid for use, and who receives a new card.

Providers and advocates can find the flyers and posters on our Cardinal Care Transition web page.  

DMAS is proud to share two new video resources to help promote the use of community doulas as a new Medicaid benefit. Community doulas are trained, community-based, non-medical professionals who provide continuous support to pregnant mothers and their families throughout pregnancy, during labor and delivery, and up to one year after birth. Community doulas are certified by the Virginia Certification Board and provide connections to local resources, education, and assistance to birthing families. Virginia is the fourth state in the nation to offer community doula services for Medicaid members. Since the approval of this benefit, DMAS has worked with providers, advocates and community members to establish the processes and build our network of community doulas.

Part of our engagement efforts includes the production of two videos: one that explains how licensed providers can recommend a Medicaid member to receive community doula services; and another video that explains how someone can become a community doula and complete the Virginia state certification process.

For more information, visit Virginia Medicaid’s community doula program web page.

DMAS recently posted new commonly asked questions and answers on its website to assist applicants as they apply for Virginia Medicaid. The questions and answers are the result of extensive research the agency conducted in fall 2022 to identify digital areas for improvement. Through focus groups and online surveys, the agency identified recurring questions and areas of confusion during the application process. The 25 questions and answers cover information such the best time to apply for Medicaid, how to check the status of an application, who is eligible and much more.

View the list of Commonly Asked Questions for Applicants and share this information with potential Medicaid members.