Incarcerated Medicare Beneficiaries
If a Medicare beneficiary becomes incarcerated, it’s important for them to understand how incarceration affects their Medicare enrollment and benefits.
- Who does Medicare consider incarcerated?
- How do Social Security benefits work when someone is incarcerated?
- Original Medicare
How does Medicare determine if someone is incarcerated?
CMS relies on data from SSA for Medicare enrollment and eligibility. Upon release, the Medicare-eligible individual should contact SSA at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY users can call 1-800-325-0778) to inquire about enrolling.
Social Security
- SSI benefits are suspended if you are incarcerated for more than 30 consecutive days but less than 12 months and terminated if you are incarcerated for 12 months or longer.
- You must request that your benefits be reinstated upon your release and provide a copy of your release
documents. - Suppose your BOP facility has a pre-release agreement with a local SSA office. In that case, your Case Manager might be able to help expedite the process so you can start receiving your benefits as soon as possible after your release.
- [They must have this; I’d First contact the BOP’s Regional Counsel Legal Center – For Your Region where you were incarcerated; second, contact James Wills, AD/General Counsel, BOP Office of General Counsel, 320 First Street, NW, Washington, DC 20534, (202) 307-3198, Certified – Return Receipt, and Third: The assistant to Director Peters, which I think could be reached through that same DC number, and Last: GO HERE: To Report your Concern].
- Re-entering the Community After Incarceration—How We Can Help
- An individual released from incarceration may be eligible for Social Security retirement, survivors, or disability benefits if they have worked or paid into Social Security enough years.
- If you believe you qualify, call our toll-free telephone number, 1-800-772-1213, to schedule an appointment.
Not all of the answers, but some of them.
