ALJ Peter McCombs

DHA Case No. MQB 207807 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals July 7, 2023) (DHS) ↓ Download PDF QMB benefits cannot normally be backdated (compare MQB 207494), but an ALJ can order backdating following a fair hearing. In this case, the Social Security Administration conceded that its own error caused a 3-month delay in verification […] Read more

DHA Case No. FCP 206264 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals January 11, 2023) (DHS) ↓ Download PDF In the Family Care program, the MCO must develop an Individual Service Plan with the client that addresses the client’s needs. When the MCO seeks to change that plan and reduce services, it has the burden of […] Read more

DHA Case No. FCP 207870 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals May 19, 2023) (DHS) ↓ Download PDF Family Care benefits generally cannot be backdated, except that retroactive enrollment can be ordered by an ALJ to correct delay caused by agency error. In this case, the petitioner applied January 25, the application was processed February […] Read more

DHA Case No. CWA 207516 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals May 18, 2023) (DHS) ↓ Download PDF An IRIS participant may request a budget amendment to pay for an ongoing need not met within the current budget. In this case, the petitioner asked for a budget increase when her home health agency ended her […] Read more

DHA Case No. CWA 207522 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals April 18, 2023) (DHS) ↓ Download PDF An IRIS participant may request a budget amendment to pay for an ongoing need not met within the current budget. In this case, the petitioner asked for a budget increase when her home health agency ended her […] Read more

DHA Case No. MDD 207161 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals March 27, 2023) (DHS) ↓ Download PDF A disability determination for the MAPP does not involve the usual “substantial gainful activity” test, but that is only the first step in a 5-step analysis that often comes down to “residual functional capacity” to perform different […] Read more

DHA Case No. MPA 207141 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals February 24, 2023) (DHS) ↓ Download PDF To determine the number of personal care worker (PCW) hours it will approve, the Department uses the Personal Care Screening Tool, which can then be adjusted. In this case, the petitioner, an 81-year-old woman with a history […] Read more

DHA Case No. MKB 200405 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals January 6, 2021) (DHS)  ↓ Download PDF The final step in the disability determination process for the Katie Beckett program is determining if the child has “marked limitations” in two of six domains or an “extreme limitation” in one. In this case, the DDB […] Read more

DHA Case No. MRA 195793 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals January 6, 2020) (DHS) ↓ Download PDF In general, it is a divestment if the community spouse transfers assets to anyone other than the institutionalized spouse in the first 5 years of Medicaid eligibility. It can also be a divestment if the institutionalized spouse […] Read more

DHA Case No. MGE 200475 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals February 8, 2021) (DHS) ↓ Download PDF Eligibility for MA begins the first of the month in which the applicant meets all program requirements. In this case, the petitioner planned for a divestment penalty with a Medicaid-compliant annuity, but the final annuity payment occurred […] Read more

DHA Case No. HMO 203704 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals January 25, 2022) (DHS) ↓ Download PDF A power wheelchair must be approved as medically necessary before Medicaid will pay for it, a determination that includes factors such as being not duplicative of other services and being cost-effective compared to alternatives. In this case, […] Read more

DHA Case No. MGE 203510 (Wis. Div. of Hearings and Appeals March 9, 2022) (DHS) ↓ Download PDF Income is not available if the individual lacks the legal ability to make it available for support and maintenance. In this case, the petitioner was on hospice and totally incapacitated, had no POA or guardian, her marital […] Read more