Health and Employment Counseling - Frequently Asked Questions

You may be enrolled in the Health and Employment Counseling process for up to 9 months. At the end of 9 months you must be working to continue to receive your Medicaid coverage through the Medicaid Purchase Plan. The clock starts ticking on your 9-month period of enrollment when the Department of Health Services approves your Employment Plan. Important dates,including the start and end date of your HEC period, will be noted on the DHS approval letter that you will receive. In some circumstances, people may apply for a 3-month extension. If you participate in HEC and after 6 months are not yet employed, but think you could be soon, you may want to apply for a 3-month extension. You must apply for an extension before the end of the 7th month of HEC participation to prevent any gaps in your Medicaid coverage. You may participate in HEC two times within a five-year period, but your participation periods must be at least six months apart.
NOTE: Any period of HEC enrollment, whether or not you use the entire 9 months available, will count as one HEC period.

The Health and Employment Counseling Program is intended for people who can be employed within a short period of time. If your employment goals will take longer than 9 months to achieve, you should wait to apply for HEC when you are closer to achieving employment.

If you do not have a disability determination from the Disability Determination Bureau, you will need to apply for one with the county or tribal economic support office in your area. It sometimes takes a few months to obtain the determination, so the sooner you start the paperwork, the sooner you can participate in the Medicaid Purchase Plan (MAPP)! Remember, you should apply for the Medicaid Purchase Plan before you enroll in Health and Employment Counseling, to make sure you meet all the MAPP eligibility criteria!

When you become employed during your HEC period, report this to your economic support worker and Department of Health Services HEC Manager right away.