PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) – The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) and Pennie are reminding Pennsylvanians of the upcoming end of the pandemic flexibilities for Medicaid and CHIP coverage. They’re also making it known that the Shapiro Administration has committed to helping Pennsylvanians stay covered when those changes take effect.

As of right now, the federal changes are set to take effect on Saturday, April 1.

Starting in 2020, the federal public health emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic allowed individuals to continue to remain enrolled in Medicaid even if they became ineligible based on regular eligibility criteria, except in rare circumstances. This is also known as the Medicaid continuous coverage requirement. In December 2022, President Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 into law, which effectively ends the continuous coverage requirement on March 31, 2023.

Beginning April 1, 2023, all Pennsylvanians must once again return to completing an annual renewal when it is due to maintaining Medicaid or CHIP coverage

No one will lose Medicaid or CHIP coverage without an opportunity to renew their coverage or update their information. Renewals will be completed over 12 months, and renewals due in March 2023 will be the first to be affected by the end of continuous coverage. All Medicaid recipients will need to go through a renewal process around the time of their normal renewal date over that 12-month period to determine if they are still eligible for Medicaid.

Pennsylvanians can update their contact information, report changes in their personal circumstances, and check their renewal date:
• Online at www.dhs.pa.gov/COMPASS

• Via the free myCOMPASS PA Mobile App

• By calling 1-866-550-4355 (215-560-7226 if they live in Philadelphia)

PENNSYLVANIA (WHTM) — According to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, all SNAP households in Pennsylvania will only receive one SNAP disbursement starting in March.

During the pandemic that began in 2020, SNAP households received their original SNAP payment, as well as the SNAP Emergency Allotments (EAs) that were paid during the second half of each month.

According to the Department of Human Services, these payments were authorized under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. However, due to the recent change in federal law, SNAP households will no longer receive the EAs payments in the second half of the month.

If you are looking for assistance for feeding yourself or your family, you can click here for more information.

Beginning this month, March of 2023, SNAP households will only receive their regular SNAP payment.

Someone calls or contacts you saying they’re a family member or close friend. They say they need money to get out of trouble. But check that there’s an emergency first because it could be a scammer calling.

What To Do If You Get a Call About a Family Emergency
If someone calls or sends a message claiming to be a family member or a friend desperate for money, here’s what to do:

Resist the pressure to send money immediately. Hang up.
Then:

Call or message the family member or friend who (supposedly) contacted you. Call them at a phone number that you know is right, not the one someone just used to contact you. Check if they’re really in trouble.
Call someone else in your family or circle of friends, even if the caller said to keep it a secret. Do that especially if you can’t reach the friend or family member who’s supposed to be in trouble. A trusted person can help you figure out whether the story is true.