PMA18163323 County of Residence for Individuals Placed in an Inpatient Drug and Alcohol (D&A) Facility August 29, 2016
A Pennsylvania resident is a resident of the county in which he or she lives. An individual must apply for MA in the county of residence.
A resident who is temporarily living in another county
or state because he or she is an inpatient at a hospital or studying
at a school may complete the PA 600 and send it to the CAO in
his or her county of residence. The CAO in the county of residence must
determine the individual’s eligibility for MA and dispose of the application.
NOTE: If an application is received by the CAO in the county where an individual is temporarily living, that CAO must forward it to the CAO in the county of permanent residence.
NOTE:
Individuals enrolled in the Address Confidentiality Program
(ACP) may use an alternate address outside of their county of residence.
(See Cash Assistance
Handbook, Section 108.102, Alternate Address.)
If a resident is living in an institution
in Pennsylvania for something other than inpatient hospital care, the
county of residence is considered the county where the institution is
located.
A child who receives placement maintenance or subsidized adoption assistance from another state is a resident of the Pennsylvania county in which he or she is living.
For a child placed in a home in Pennsylvania by a Pennsylvania court, the application for MA is made by the Children and Youth Agency that made the placement. The CAO in the county where the agency is located must determine the child’s eligibility and dispose of the application. (See Supplemental Handbook Chapter 850, Foster Care and Adoption Assistance, for complete information on benefits for IV-E children.)
When the CAO receives an MA application for an individual who is a resident of an inpatient Drug and Alcohol (D&A) facility, the CAO must determine where the individuals were residing prior to entering the D&A facility.
If the individual is released from a State Correctional Institution (SCI), the individual will be reviewed for MA eligibility in the county where the D&A facility is located. Individuals incarcerated in an SCI are incarcerated for an average of three years and many do not have a permanent county of residence when released.
If the individual is released from a county prison, the individual will be reviewed for MA eligibility in the county of permanent residence. Individuals incarcerated in a county prison are short term inmates and most will return to their prior county of residence.
If the individual entered the D&A facility from the community outside of the correctional system, the individual will be reviewed for MA eligibility in the county of permanent residence.
Updated February 15, 2023, Replacing August 29, 2016