Frequently Asked Questions
VNSNY CHOICE MLTC members often ask these questions about benefits and services. If you don’t see an answer to a question you have here, please call us. We’re here to help!
To protect your privacy, we will always ask you to provide three pieces of information to identify yourself. You can use any three of the following:
- CHOICE MLTC ID Number
- First and Last Name
- Date of Birth
- Full Address
- Phone Number
- New York Medicaid ID Number
For your protection, we do not allow others to see your information without your permission. There are three ways you can give others permission to see information about your care and services with VNSNY CHOICE MLTC:
- Call your Care Team with the person you want to have access your information and give your permission over the phone. Your representative will have access to your information for 14 days from the date of the call.
- If you want someone to see all your information, you can download can this Authorization for Release of Health Information Pursuant to HIPAA (English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian) Health Information Release form to your home. Then, fill out the form and send it back to the VNSNY CHOICE Care Team for processing.
- If you want to allow someone to see just some of your information, write a letter saying that you give your permission to that person to speak on your behalf. Tell us their name, their relationship to you, and the sort of information you are allowing them to see. Send this letter to the VNSNY CHOICE MLTC Care Team for processing at this address:
VNSNY CHOICE MLTC
220 East 42nd Street, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10017
If your home address or other contact information changes, please call us. You will also need to notify your local department of social services of your new contact information. To find the number for your local office, go to this webpage: https://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/ldss.htm.
If your new address is within the CHOICE MLTC service area, your coverage will not be affected. If you move outside of the service area, you may no longer be eligible for our plan, in which case you would be disenrolled.
Follow this link to see which counties are in the CHOICE MLTC service area.
As a CHOICE MLTC member, you can use any doctor you choose for services that are not covered by the plan. However, if you are a member of a Medicare HMO plan, you may have to use doctors and specialists who are part of that plan’s network.
For services covered by CHOICE MLTC, you can use our online provider search tool. Or you can find a list of providers in the CHOICE MLTC Provider & Pharmacy Directory.
If you need help identifying a provider who meets your needs, you can also contact the CHOICE MLTC Care Team.
If you have any questions or concerns about getting authorizations for medical services, please contact us and we can help you.
If you need your services put on hold because you will not be at home — for example, if you go away on vacation, or have to go into the hospital — please contact your Care Team. To suspend your home health aide services while you’re away, please contact the agency that provides your aide.
If you are dissatisfied with the quality of care you get from your aide, please contact their home care agency. If you are dissatisfied with the agency, please call us at 1-888-867-6555 (TTY: 711).
Contact us at 1-888-867-6555 (TTY: 711). Please have the bill with you when you call, as the representative will ask you for specific information found on the bill. The representative will work with you and your doctor to clarify the bill and determine whether you may be responsible for any charges.
Some New Yorkers with monthly incomes above the Medicaid limit can be eligible for Medicaid in certain circumstances. The amount above the Medicaid level is called spenddown—also known as surplus or “excess income”—because it must be “spent down” in order to meet the income level requirement for Medicaid. You may receive a bill for this monthly amount, or it may be covered in some other way. Talk to your local social services department for more information. Or call us and ask to speak with a Medicaid Eligibility specialist.
That’s great! Please tell them to call VNSNY CHOICE MLTC at 1-855-AT-CHOICE (TTY: 711). This line is specifically for people interested in joining CHOICE MLTC. The representatives can answer questions about eligibility and explain the enrollment process.