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West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Chapter 7

West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Page 28 Chapter 7 Verification

7.4 CITIZENSHIP AND IDENTITY REQUIREMENTS FOR MEDICAID AND WVCHIP Section 6036 of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) enacted on February 8, 2006, requires individuals who claim United States (U.S.) citizenship to provide documentary evidence of citizenship or nationality and identity when initially applying for Medicaid or upon a client's first Medicaid redetermination on, or after, July 1, 2006. This provision does not affect individuals who have declared they are non-citizens in a satisfactory immigration status. Section 6036 requires evidence of both citizenship and identity and specifies forms of acceptable evidence of citizenship or nationality and identity. Section 211 of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Act of 2009 mandated citizenship documentation for CHIP applicants beginning January 1, 2010. West Virginia implemented this provision effective March 1, 2010. 7.4.1 ESTABLISHING U.S. CITIZENSHIP AND IDENTITY To establish U.S. citizenship the document must show: • A U.S. place of birth; or • That the person is a U.S. citizen. To establish identity a document must show: • Evidence that provides identifying information that relates to the person named on the document. All documents are not required to be an original. They may be photocopied, faxed or scanned. The Worker must file a copy of the verification in the case record. Verification of citizenship is required only once, unless later evidence makes it questionable. There is no requirement that the verification be submitted in person. 7.4.2 EXEMPTIONS NOTE: Children born in the U.S. to foreign sovereigns or diplomatic officers are not U.S. citizens.