Verification of Residency

California residency must be verified at:

Application
Reapplication
Restoration, or whenever there is a break-in-aid
Redetermination (only if California residency has not been verified previously).

Exception: Individuals applying for the Minor Consent Program or Foster Care children who receive Medi-Cal ARE NOT required to provide proof of residence. However, they are still required to be California residents.

The following documents can be used to verify residency when the waiver expires.

Verification Type	Additional Information/Requirements
California DMV Driver's License or I.D. Card	Must be current, valid and in the client's name with a California address. Expired driver's licenses or I.D. Cards are not acceptable.
California Motor Vehicle Registration	It must be current, valid and in the client's name and with a California address. Expired motor vehicle registrations are not acceptable.
Employment Document	A document showing that the client is employed in California, such as an earnings statement or paystub.
Registration With Employment Agency	A document showing client is registered with a California employment agency (public or private).
School Enrollment	Papers showing the client's children in the home have enrolled in a California school. Verification must show enrollment during the month of application, or during the term immediately prior to the month of application, if school is not currently in session. NOTE: Written evidence from the school is required. Telephone calls or other collateral contacts are not acceptable.
Receipt Of California Public Assistance (Other Than Medi-Cal)	Evidence showing the client is receiving public assistance other than Medi-Cal, at an address in California.
Current California Rent/Mortgage Receipt or Utility Bill	Rent, mortgage, and utility receipts or statements must be in the client's name and include a California address. A “current” receipt or bill means the month prior to, or the month of application for Medi-Cal. If a rent receipt or a statement regarding free housing from a relative is the applicant’s only proof of residency the “Income In-Kind/Housing Verification” (MC 210 S-I) form must be completed in addition to the MC 214.

Other Evidence of Residency

Applicants who cannot provide one of the verification types above must sign and date the MC 214 and provide any other verification of residency.

The following list includes common documents which may be used along with the MC 214 to verify a client's statement of California residency:

Records showing the client owns property or pays property taxes in California.
California church records.
A current and valid California school I.D.
Recent marriage or divorce records issued in California.
Recent court documents showing client's California address.
California insurance documents.
Police records from a California law enforcement agency.
Statements from a homeless shelter or other public or community service agency in California indicating that the client is receiving services from the agency.
California adoption records.
Any other available information provided to the EW during eligibility determination which supports the client's claim of California residency.

Special Circumstances

Migrant Workers

To establish California residency, based on having entered the state to work, the migrant worker must sign and date the MC 214 and provide proof of employment or seeking employment in California including:

Paystubs in the client's name, from an employer in California.
Employer letter indicating a job offer in California.
An employment contract from an employer in California.
A letter from a prospective employer acknowledging inquiries about work in California.

Homeless Individuals

Homeless individuals may have difficulty proving California residence due to a lack of a fixed address or stable living arrangements. If a homeless individual cannot provide any of the residency verifications from above, a letter from a homeless shelter or other public or community service agency stating that the applicant is receiving services from the agency can be used. If the client is unable to provide a letter and does not have any of the other verifications mentioned above, the application must be denied for no proof of residency.

Foreign Students, Holders of Border Crossing Cards, and Non-Immigrant and Temporary Visas

Individuals residing in California with a temporary Visa can still meet residency requirements if they intend to remain in California and provide adequate residency verification.

Out of State Principal Residence

If the applicant declares a principal residence outside of California, then California residency is questionable. The EW must review the circumstances to see if the principal residence is exempt, however, having an exempt principal residence outside the state does not necessarily disqualify him/her from eligibility for Medi-Cal.

ExampleExampleThe applicant and his spouse own a home in Arizona which was their former residence. Their adult son now resides in the home. The applicants have no present intent to leave California; they are renting an apartment here and have CA driver's licenses. The EW establishes that the former home is an exempt principal residence and that the couple are residents of California.

Other Special Circumstances

Residency can be established in the following special circumstances:

Parents who do not meet the California residency requirements may establish California residence for their children if they intend for their children to remain in California.
A person who dies during a temporary absence from the state.
A child placed in out-of-state foster care under either of the following conditions:
- Through the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children.
- By a state or county agency responsible for the child's care.
  - Note: There is no eligibility for a child placed outside of the United States, for example, with military foster parents or other parents who move out of the United States.
An out-of-state foster child placed in California if both of the following conditions are met:
- The child was placed by an out-of-state court directly with a guardian or foster parent in California, and
- The other state has adopted the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children.
An individual institutionalized in an out of state facility by a California state or county agency.
- Note: The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) determines the state of residence for a person who is living in an institution out of state when that state's agency claims the person is a California resident. These Medi-Cal applications must be reviewed by the Medi-Cal program coordinator.

Questionable Verification

If the residency verification is questionable, the EW should request an investigation of the facts by initiating a “FRED” referral to prior to making a final eligibility determination.

PARIS-Interstate Match and RVP

The Public Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS) allows states and federal agencies to verify various circumstances of public assistance clients. The PARIS-Interstate Match allows states to compare beneficiary information and identify if an individual receives benefits in more than one state. The Residency Verification Program (RVP) is similar to the Interstate Match as they both generate reports of discontinued individuals for the county to take action on.

DHCS sends out a “Residency Verification Notice” to the client with a reply card (to be sent back directly to DHCS) for the client to confirm their residency. This notice goes out when DHCS is made aware of any residency discrepancy. If the client confirms that they no longer reside in California, or if the individual does not return the reply card by the due date, DHCS terminates their Medi-Cal in MEDS by placing termination code ‘MR’ (moved out of state per beneficiary) or ‘MV’ (failed to confirm state residency) and issues the discontinuance NOA. DHCS provides these reports of discontinuances to the county, quarterly. Below is the process the Eligibility Worker must follow to ensure client is also discontinued in CalSAWS.

PARIS-Interstate Match and RVP Report Procedure

Review MEDS to ensure the client is discontinued with TERM-REAS ‘MR’ or ‘MV’.
Discontinue the client in CalSAWS/CalHEERS to match MEDS.
Suppress the discontinuance NOA generated in CalSAWS as DHCS is responsible for issuing a discontinuance notice to the client.

Note: If the discontinued individual was the primary applicant or head of household who established residency for other household members (e.g., spouse, dependents), the EW must review the case and collect residency verification for the other household member(s) if they were not also discontinued by DHCS.

If an individual that was discontinued by DHCS as a result of the Interstate Match or RVP comes to the office in person requesting reinstatement, the EW may reinstate eligibility within 90 days of discontinuance (or refer client to reapply at Intake if over 90 days).