MassHealth clarifies immigrant eligibility rules

On May 14, the Office of Medicaid clarified guidelines for identifying and verifying immigrants eligible for benefits as PRUCOL (Persons Permanently Residing under Color of Law) or as Cuban-Haitian Entrants. Identifying people in these categories requires scrutiny; a variety of papers can be used to document eligibility. The memos (see below) contain examples of who could qualify, what programs they may be eligible for, the documentation they would need to submit to MassHealth, and the codes you might see on their immigration documents.

PRUCOL: If not properly identified, most PRUCOL immigrants will be treated as “nonqualified” and eligible only for Health Safety Net and other limited benefits. Properly identified PRUCOL immigrants may be eligible for MassHealth or Commonwealth Care.

• Office of Medicaid memo re PRUCOL verification (PDF)

Cuban-Haitian Entrants: If not properly identified, most Cuban-Haitian Entrants will be treated as PRUCOL instead of Qualified. As Qualified immigrants, Cuban-Haitian Entrants are eligible for benefits on the same terms as citizens, including eligibility for MassHealth Standard and CommonHealth.

• Office of Medicaid Memo re verification of Cuban-Haitian Entrants (PDF)

Thanks to Vicky Pulos of Massachusetts Law Reform Institute for providing this information.