Provider Notice Issued 03/28/2023

Date:   March 28, 2023

To:    Long Term Care Facilities - Nursing Facilities (NF), Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF/IID), Supportive Living Program (SLP), Medically Complex for the Developmentally Disabled Facilities (MC/DD), and Specialized Mental Health Rehabilitation Facilities (SMHRF)

Re:    Information Regarding the 2023 Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) Increase and File Download through the Medical Electronic Data Interchange (MEDI) System

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This Notice informs Long Term Care (LTC) providers that a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) has been approved for all persons receiving Social Security Administration (SSA) benefits effective January 2023. 

Based on this increase, the budgeting process has been automated to achieve timely processing of the increased SSA benefits for Medical Assistance residents. Updates to the patient credit amount in the HFS payment system based on the COLA increase have also been automated. The updates were completed on 01/26/2023. The Department will not be providing the COLA report to reflect the updated patient credit amounts. However, the HFS 2449A LTC Transaction Report will reflect the updated amounts. The report was issued 01/26/2023. Providers may download the report by following the instructions below. 

1. Login to MEDI
2. Select Internet Electronic Claims (IEC)
3. Select Download File(s)
4. Choose the "Entity" from the drop-down box
5. Select the file you wish to download from the "Available Files" listed
6. Enter a "Local Directory Location" (a folder created on your computer or network) to accept the downloaded file
7. Click "Download Files" button
8. Go to your designated directory location
   
9. Open the downloaded file (recommended program is WordPad)
   

NOTE: The 360 Notice of Decision that was generated based on the COLA update may not reflect the accurate patient liability due to eligibility flexibilities during the public health emergency. The patient credit amount listed in the HFS payment system, which can be viewed via the MEDI LTC Inquiry, should be considered the source of truth. If you disagree with the patient credit amount listed in the HFS payment system, an LTC Income Change transaction should be submitted in MEDI. The proper verification documents should be submitted to the appropriate LTC MFO office via fax, mail, or ABE Managed My Case (MMC). For more information on sending documentation, see  Provider Notice Issued 04/29/2021 | HFS (illinois.gov).

If you have questions, contact the Bureau of Long Term Care via email at HFS.LTC@illinois.gov or toll free at 844-528-8444.                                                

Kelly Cunningham, Administrator

Division of Medical Programs