Steps States Can Take to Facilitate Medicaid Enrollment of Children 1. Shorten and simplify the Medicaid application. Medicaid applications can be long and complicated. Verification requirements can be onerous, as well. Applicants who have trouble gathering the required documents can be denied Medicaid even though they are eligible.
Shorter applications have a number of advantages.
For example, they are likely to require fewer documents to verify the information on the application. Simplified applications also make outstationing sites more effective and allow staff of community-based organizations to play a direct role in assisting families in navigating the application process. Simple applications also promote a more positive image for the Medicaid program. Twenty-eight states currently use applications that are the same length or shorter than the HCFA model. While not all of these applications are as simple as they could be, several of them could be used as models for states interested in simplifying their Medicaid applications.