MedicaidReimbursementMedium impact
Newsletter Vol. 5, No. 21
New Jersey Medicaid·NJ · Geriatrics, Psychiatry·Provider Notice
Effective date
Jan 1, 2024
We identified it
Jun 20, 2026
Summary
This policy updates Social Security Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) calculations for nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities, and psychiatric hospitals effective immediately as of January. Unisys has automatically recalculated Social Security income on Patient Assistance Ledger (PAL) records, and billing teams must review the COLA UPDATE REPORT to identify discrepancies between computed NET INC AFTER amounts and current TAD patient payment amounts, then update records accordingly.
Action Required
IMMEDIATELY: Billing team must obtain and review the COLA UPDATE REPORT for all facility residents. Compare the NET INC AFTER column (newly computed patient payment after COLA adjustment) against the current PATIENT PAYMENT AMOUNT in the Turn Around Document (TAD) Block for each recipient. If the difference is $1 or more: (1) Update the PATIENT PAYMENT AMOUNT on the TAD Block to reflect the actual patient liability, (2) Submit the corrected TAD to Unisys (PO Box, Trenton NJ), and (3) Inform the County Welfare Agency or Institutional Services Section (ISS) area office that a new PAL must be completed. If the difference is less than $1: (1) Update the PATIENT PAYMENT AMOUNT on the TAD Block in the billing system, (2) Submit to Unisys, but (3) DO NOT notify County Welfare Agency or ISS. Note any recipients with comment codes 'SSAZERO COLA APPLIED NET INCOME SET TO ZERO' or 'SSI ZERO COLA NOT APPLIED NET INCOME ZERO' and verify zero net income calculations are correct. Failure to update records will result in incorrect patient billing amounts and potential compliance issues with PAL documentation.