Utah Medicaid Appeals and Fair Hearings: How to Appeal

If your Utah Medicaid coverage was denied, cut, or terminated, you have the right to appeal and request a fair hearing.1 That right is guaranteed by federal Medicaid law, and it carries a second protection: if you request the hearing before the date your notice says the action takes effect, your benefits can keep flowing until a decision is reached after the hearing.2

In This Guide

• What you can appeal in Utah Medicaid
• Utah Medicaid appeal deadlines that decide your case
• How to keep your benefits during a Utah Medicaid appeal
• Which Utah office decides your appeal
• Managed care (ACO) appeals: exhaust your plan first
• How to request a Utah Medicaid fair hearing
• Frequently Asked Questions

What you can appeal in Utah Medicaid

Federal law guarantees every Medicaid applicant and beneficiary the right to a fair hearing before the state agency. Section 1902(a)(3) of the Social Security Act (42 USC 1396a(a)(3)) requires Utah's Medicaid plan to grant a hearing to anyone whose claim for assistance is denied or is not acted on with reasonable promptness, and the implementing rule at 42 CFR 431.220 extends that right to anyone who believes the agency acted in error or made an adverse determination.1

In practice, that means you can appeal:

• An application denial based on income, assets, household composition, or documentation
• A termination or reduction of eligibility or of a covered service
• A renewal or recertification denial
• A prior authorization denial or a level-of-care determination
• A disability determination made for a Medicaid or CHIP decision
• A managed care plan's denial, reduction, suspension, or termination of a service

The right reaches across the whole program, not just applications. What changes from case to case is which office hears it and how fast you have to act.

Utah Medicaid appeal deadlines that decide your case

Three deadlines govern a Utah Medicaid appeal, and they are not the same number.

Under 42 CFR 431.221(d), the state must allow a reasonable time, not to exceed 90 days from the date the notice of action is mailed, to request a hearing.3 Utah applies that federal maximum: a member appealing a Medicaid or CHIP eligibility or disability decision files the hearing request within 90 days of the date on the notice.4 Count from the mailing date printed on your notice, not the day it reached you.

A second deadline keeps your benefits flowing, and it is almost always earlier than the 90-day request window: to continue coverage during the appeal, you must request the hearing before the date of action stated on your notice. The next section covers that rule in detail.

A third set of deadlines applies to managed care. If your denial came from an Accountable Care Organization (ACO), you have 60 calendar days from the date on the adverse benefit determination notice to file the plan's internal appeal.5 After the plan resolves that appeal against you, the state must allow no fewer than 90 and no more than 120 calendar days from the date of the plan's resolution notice to request a state fair hearing; the exact number within that band is set by the state.6

One more deadline protects renewals. If Utah ended your coverage only because you did not return a renewal form or requested information on time, you may not have to reapply: under 42 CFR 435.916, if you submit the form or the missing information within 90 days after the termination date, the agency must reconsider your eligibility without a new application.7

How to keep your benefits during a Utah Medicaid appeal

Continuation of benefits during an appeal is often called "aid paid pending," and it is governed by 42 CFR 431.230. Under 42 CFR 431.230(a), if the agency sent the required 10-day (or 5-day) advance notice and you request the hearing before the date of action stated on that notice, the agency may not terminate or reduce your services until a decision is rendered after the hearing, unless the only issue is one of federal or state law or policy.2 The trigger is the date of action on your notice, not a flat count of days.

Continuation is not automatic. A request made after the action has already taken effect does not continue benefits under this rule. A separate provision, 42 CFR 431.231, lets the agency reinstate services when you request a hearing not more than 10 days after the date of action.2 That reinstatement path is the "10-day" number people remember, and it is different from continuation.

If your benefits continue and the action is later upheld at the hearing, 42 CFR 431.230(b) permits the agency to recoup the cost of the services furnished solely because benefits were continued.2

When an adverse-action notice arrives, find the date of action, request the hearing before that date, and put your request to continue benefits in writing. You have to ask for it.

Which Utah office decides your appeal

Utah splits appeals by dispute type. The Utah Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) hears benefit, service, and disability-determination disputes, including disputes of disability decisions made by the Medical Review Board. Medicaid and CHIP eligibility fair hearings are filed instead with the Utah Department of Workforce Services (DWS), Division of Adjudications.4

The 90-day request windows above are Utah's application of the federal 90-day maximum.3,4 The 60-day managed care window is the federal internal-appeal deadline.5

Managed care (ACO) appeals: exhaust your plan first

Most Utah Medicaid members receive their care through managed care, which the state delivers through four Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs): Health Choice Utah, Healthy U, Molina Healthcare, and SelectHealth Community Care. Members who live in Utah, Salt Lake, Davis, Weber, Box Elder, Cache, Iron, Morgan, Rich, Summit, Tooele, Wasatch, or Washington County must choose a plan.4 Utah delivers this managed care under the federal managed care organization (MCO) rules at 42 CFR Part 438, which set the appeal steps below.

A member or provider disputing an action taken by an ACO must complete that organization's internal appeal before filing a hearing request with OAH.4 You have 60 calendar days from the date on the adverse benefit determination notice to file that internal appeal, which can be requested orally or in writing, and the plan has one level of appeal.5 Going straight to a state fair hearing without exhausting the plan appeal gets the request dismissed.

Under 42 CFR 438.404, the plan must give you timely, written notice of an adverse benefit determination, including a denial or limited authorization of a service, a reduction or termination of a previously authorized service, a denial of payment, or a failure to act in time. That notice must explain how to appeal, how to request an expedited appeal, and how to ask that your benefits continue during the appeal.8

The plan must resolve a standard appeal within 30 calendar days and an expedited appeal within 72 hours of receiving it. Either timeframe can be extended by up to 14 calendar days if you request the extension or the plan shows the state that more information is needed and the delay is in your interest.9 Ask for the expedited 72-hour track whenever waiting on the standard timeline could seriously jeopardize your health or your ability to regain function.

If the plan fails to meet the notice and timing rules, the appeal is deemed exhausted and you may go straight to a state fair hearing.8 Once the plan upholds its denial, you then have 90 to 120 days, the exact number set by the state, to request the hearing with OAH.6

How to request a Utah Medicaid fair hearing

Once you know which office handles your dispute, the request itself is straightforward. Match your notice to the right path.

For a benefit, service, or disability-determination dispute, complete the State Fair Hearing Request Form and email it as an attachment to utmedicaidhearings@utah.gov, or mail it to the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Administrative Hearings, PO Box 143105, Salt Lake City, UT.4 The Office of Administrative Hearings page carries the form and the current filing instructions.

For a Medicaid or CHIP eligibility dispute, file your fair hearing with the Department of Workforce Services, Division of Adjudications, rather than with OAH.4 Filing an eligibility appeal with OAH, or a service appeal with DWS, only slows your case down.

For a managed care denial, file your plan's internal appeal first; then, if the plan upholds the denial, request the state fair hearing with OAH within the 90-to-120-day window.6

Whatever the path, request continuation of benefits in writing at the same time you file, and do it before the date of action on your notice if you want your coverage to hold.2

Learn More

Find personalized help navigating a Utah Medicaid appeal at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.