Frequently Asked Questions

Eligible Students for Third Party Billing

• What factors determine eligibility for Medical Assistance? For a child to be eligible to receive Medical Assistance requires a number of things. One of which is the financial situation of the family. Another is if the child has a permanent handicapping condition. The family must apply for Medical Assistance. The local office of Department of Social Services accepts applications for Medical Assistance. If a student is in a foster home they are automatically qualified for Medical Assistance for six months. The parents should contact the Department of Social Services at 1-800 772-1213 to determine the eligibility of their children.
• What should we do if the name of a child appears on our list, but the child is not enrolled in our school? In this case the Office of Third Party Billing recommends that you verify that the student has been withdrawn from your school using the STARS System.
• How will we know which students are eligible for the Third Party Billing Program? For a student to be eligible for Third Party Billing, they must have an active IEP and receive medical assistance benefits.
• How can we identify students who are eligible for the Third Party Billing Program? For a student to be eligible for Third Party Billing, they must have an active IEP and receive medical assistance benefits. You can assist in the identification process by sharing the Third Party Billing registration forms with parents.
• When will we receive a report of students who are eligible? On a monthly basis, the Office of Third Party Billing will send a report to your school that will delineate which students qualify for the Third Party Billing program. You should receive a report around the middle of September.
• What can we do about students who are in special education and have Medicaid who are not on the computer printout? In this case, please send a Third Party Billing registration form home for the parents to complete.
• I understand that in several cases, the names of students eligible for Third Party Billing can go on and off of the computer printout. Why does this happen? The computer printout for your school will change on a monthly basis. The list will be updated when students enroll or withdraw from your school, or when students change their Medicaid eligibility status.
• If we receive a student from Baltimore City, will you automatically know if the child is eligible for Third Party Billing? No, the Office of Third Party Billing will not automatically know if the child is eligible for Third Party Billing. Please request that the parent complete the Third Party Billing registration form.
• Last year we had a pair of siblings, but only one had Medical Assistance. Is this possible? Yes, the parent may have only filed for medical assistance for one child or one child may have a permanent handicapping condition.
• What specifically will allow a child to receive Medical Assistance? For a child to be eligible to receive Medical Assistance requires a number of things. One of which is the fiscal situation of the family. Another is if the child has a permanent handicapping condition. The family must apply for Medical Assistance. The local office of Department of Social Services accepts applications for Medical Assistance.
• We sent out many of the Third Party Billing registration forms, but received only a few back. What other methods exist in order to determine student Medical Assistance eligibility? You may make another attempt to send the registration form home to the family, or make a list of the students in question, with their social security numbers and names, and forward this list to Third Party Billing. We will verify if the students are eligible for the program. You can also look at the free and reduced lunch data; this may help identify students eligible for Third Party Billing.