The requirement that financial statements dating back five years prior to the filing of the application be submitted also varies from county to county
. Depending on the circumstances, some counties have been known to request as little as forty-two (42) months of statements.
8. Enforcing the Applicant's Rights for Eligibility to Receive Medicaid
Applicants should be aware of their federal rights to a prompt disposition of their application. Enforcing the federally mandated deadline of 90 days found in the Code of Federal Regulations, and the state deadlines can be done through a fair hearing, which is an informal proceeding before an administrative law judge. These hearings are often used to expedite the decision making process of the county and state welfare agencies. Individuals who do not exercise their federal and state rights to a prompt decision on their Medicaid applications might otherwise find themselves waiting over a year to learn whether their nursing home bills, which had been accruing, will be covered by the benefits programs.