New Jersey § 30:4d-3c

§ 30:4d-3c.

a. The Commissioner of Human Services shall develop an information technology platform

for use by the State, county welfare agencies, and State contractors for the purpose

of intake, processing, and tracking of applications for benefits under the Medicaid

program established pursuant to P.L.1968, c. 413 ( C.30:4D-1 et seq. ) and the NJ FamilyCare program established pursuant to P.L.2005, c. 156 ( C.30:4J-8 et al.). The goals of the system shall be: to simplify the applications and eligibility

determination processes for both applicants and eligibility determination staff;

to standardize the application of eligibility policy across the various agencies responsible

for eligibility determination; to allow for real-time tracking of the status of applications;

to allow the rapid exchange of data relevant to applications among various State and

county agencies and contractors; and to provide a platform to expand the system to

encompass other social service program applications and eligibility determinations

as the technology permits. b. The Commissioner of Human Services shall establish a system to evaluate the performance

of all entities responsible for intake and processing of applications for the Medicaid

and NJ FamilyCare programs, including all county welfare agencies and the State's

contracted health benefits coordinator. The system shall allow for the measurement of a set of relevant common metrics,

including but not limited to: the number of complete and incomplete applications

of each type received; the time between receipt of completed applications and the

completion of the eligibility determination; the time between receipt of an application

and the request for supporting documentation sent to the applicant; the number of

applicants granted extensions; and the accuracy of eligibility determinations. Nothing in this section shall be construed to permit a county welfare agency to deny

an application for which an applicant requires additional time to provide information

or documentation to a county welfare agency, and a county welfare agency shall grant

extensions, as appropriate, when needed. The Commissioner shall annually publish on the Department of Human Services website,

the results, including those for each of the common metrics and by individual entity,

of the performance evaluation system to be established pursuant to this section. c. The Commissioner of Human Services shall establish a system of rewards and penalties

for all entities responsible for intake, processing of applications, and processing

of redetermination applications that provides incentives for performance on the metrics

established pursuant to subsection b. of this section. This system shall include incentives for county welfare agencies to streamline their

processes and utilize the information technology platform required by subsection a.

of this section. d. The Commissioner of Human Services shall designate a customer service liaison team,

which shall be composed of employees of the Department of Human Services, to receive

complaints that result from the eligibility application process. The customer service liaison team shall have authority to review all records of

the cases about which complaints are submitted; to interview individuals who submit

complaints, the individuals who have assisted with their applications, and the State

and county staff who have worked on their cases; and to recommend corrective actions

to State and county agencies to address specific complaints and reduce future complaints.