Katie Beckett Eligibility Option
Under Section 134 of the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 (TEFRA), States are allowed the option to make Medicaid benefits available to eligible children with disabilities who would not ordinarily qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits because of the parents’ income or resources.
Section 134 is also known as the “Katie Beckett” Option in reference to the child whose disability prompted this change. Under the Katie Beckett Eligibility Option Medicaid eligibility category, a State is allowed to waive the deeming of parental income and resources for a disabled child under 19 years of age who would be eligible for Medicaid if he or she were in a medical institution and who is receiving, while living at home, medical care that would normally be provided in a medical institution.
The child must require a Level of Care (LOC) that would make him or her eligible for placement in a hospital, nursing facility (NF), or an Intermediate Care Facility for the Intellectually Disabled (ICF). A physician must sign a statement indicating that it is appropriate for the child to receive services in the home. These eligibility criteria are re-determined on an annual basis or, in the case of a Pediatric Specialty Care level, every six months.
For children who become eligible for Medicaid under the Katie Beckett Eligibility Option, Medicaid covers medically necessary services as defined by the Medicaid State Plan. Waiver services, by their nature, are not available to children enrolled in the Katie Beckett Eligibility Option.
There is a monetary limit to the Medicaid medical coverage costs. The cost of the child’s care in the home must be no greater than the amount Medicaid would pay if the child was institutionalized.
Katie Beckett Medicaid Operations Manual (MOM):
Refer to Regulatory section
Recipient
To request services:
Northern Nevada: DHCFP Reno District Office
Southern Nevada: DHCFP Las Vegas District Office