Rhode Island General Laws Title 40. Human Services § 40-8.4-6. Administration

The department of human services shall ensure that eligibility and enrollment are determined and provided in a timely, efficient, and user-friendly manner, including mail-in applications. The department may enter into any necessary cooperative agreements with the department of health and/or other state agencies to achieve the purposes of this section. Children and families applying for cash assistance through the family independence program, § 40-5.1-1 et seq., shall not be required to complete a separate application for medical assistance under this chapter.

By December 1, 2006, the department shall provide to the chair of the senate health and human services committee, the chair of the house health, education and welfare committee, and to the chairs of the house and senate finance committees a report describing a process for renewing eligibility for the RIte care program by using an “ex-parte” process whereby the department uses information provided to the department from the recipients' cash assistance, food stamp, and/or child care assistance records and from other reliable sources that are readily available to the department. The report shall include at a minimum: how the ex-parte renewal process will work; the date by which the process could be implemented; the number and types of cases to which the ex-parte renewal process is anticipated to be applied; the costs and anticipated savings of implementing the process; and how the department will assure the accuracy of the eligibility determination when the ex-parte process is used. The department shall consult with, and as appropriate include, members of the RIte care consumer advisory council in preparing this report.