In Alabama, a person who is approved for and receives Supplemental Security Income (SSI) automatically receives Medicaid coverage.* You are typically eligible for Medicaid for each month that you either receive or were eligible to receive SSI. That means that if you get a fully favorable decision, you may have some retroactive Medicaid benefits. Simply put, it means that those months of past-due benefits (or backpay) may also come with some past medical benefits. Why is this so important? It means that if you have outstanding doctor or hospital bills, Medicaid might pay them. If you have received a fully favorable decision, have received Medicaid, and have some past due medical bills, you should contact the medical provider to see if there are any bills that may be covered by Medicaid. Your medical provider will need to file a claim with Medicaid so that they can be paid.
These are all very general rules and may apply differently to your claim depending on the specific facts of your case. If you have questions about SSI and Medicaid or about retroactive Medicaid benefits, an experienced Social Security disability attorney can help.
* Note that in Alabama, Medicaid goes hand-in-hand with SSI and that is what I’m discussing here. Medicare is a different program and may have different rules than those discussed here.