Governor's
Action Allows FMAP Certification
to Resume Without Delay
Posted
by Jean Greaux on April 22, 2009 at 4:36 PM AST
This
afternoon, Governor de Jongh took action to allow
the Department of Health to more efficiently meet the
public demand for service in the federal Medical Assistance
Program (FMAP). The Governor’s actions ensured that the
process for residents to be certified for FMAP benefits
resumed without further interruption.
in his
remarks, the Governor said:
“Since receiving an
infusion of $4 million from the American Reinvestment
and Recovery Act to get more clients registered, staff
shortages were exacerbated especially in light of the
unexpected absence of two critical employees,” de Jongh
said.
Audio of
the Governor's Remarks .mp3
(2.9 MB)
The office was forced to
close until such time as staff from FMAP offices on St.
Croix could be repositioned to St. Thomas to allow the
certification process to continue. On Wednesday,
the Governor approved the hiring of several new employees for the
program who will now be trained in procedures relating
to the Medical Assistance Program certification:
"Not
only has the staffing issues been addressed, the
department has taken steps to rectify long standing
problems in the program including the processing of old
claims,” de Jongh said.
Acting Health Commissioner Julia Sheen said the
Department of Health has posted ads in various
publications requiring all providers to submit old
claims by May 15.
“The claims
are for MAP-covered services to clients on or after
April 1, 2007 but prior to October 1, 2008. Once the older claims are processed, the Health
Department may begin to tap the $4 million in stimulus
funding which must be obligated over the next two
years."
A consultant to
the Department of Health will be on island during the
first week in May to work with MAP staff in developing
procedures on how those claims should be processed.
Residents who have concerns about the status of the FMAP
program should contact the Health Commissioner’s office at
773-1311, extension 3010.
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