Help Someone Retain Part D Extra Help

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has released state by state information on numbers of individuals whose Part D low income subsidy (extra help) will end March 31 if they do not respond to SSA’s request for information concerning their continued eligibility.  Nationwide, 86,789 low-income Medicare beneficiaries subject to routine redeterminations had not responded to SSA by March 10.  An additional 2,845 new widows/widowers had also not responded to requests for information concerning their income and resources after their spouse’s death.

Each year, SSA conducts a review of eligibility of a portion of recipients of extra help by sending the individual notice of the information SSA has on file and asking the individual to confirm or deny the accuracy of the information.  Based on the responses, SSA finds that the person does or does not continue to be eligible and at which subsidy level.  Each year a portion of those contacted by SSA do not respond to the letter and several subsequent follow-up contacts by the agency.  When SSA receives no response by mid-February, it sends the individual a letter telling her or him that extra help will end March 31.  This year’s termination letters went out between February 23 and February 28, 2011.

If you or someone you know has such a letter, contact SSA immediately so that your subsidy will continue if you continue to be eligible.  If you miss the March 31 deadline, you may still be able to have on-going eligibility if you appeal the cut off within 60 days of receiving the letter, or even after 60 days, if you can show good cause as to why you missed the 60 deadline.  If none of these steps is taken, you can still reapply for extra help.  The effective date of the help will be the beginning of the month in which you told SSA that you wanted to apply or the date your application was filed, whichever is earlier.

The state by state listings of numbers of individuals who have not responded to redetermination letters are below:

MMA Redetermination Terminations for Non-Response

For 2010 August MMA Redeterminations

Death of Spouse Pre-Termination Counts

For 2010 August MMA Redeterminations