- Glossary
Children – Members under the age of 19 on the first day of the month of eligibility
Disabled Adults – Members aged 19-64 on the first day of the month of eligibility who are eligible for Medicaid coverage because they have a disability as defined by the Social Security Administration
Age 65 and Older – Members aged 65 or older on the first day of the month of eligibility
Full Benefit Membership – Members with full benefits during the month of eligibility. This number can be calculated by including each data category except for “limited benefits.”
New Applications – Medicaid application for someone who is not currently enrolled in Medicaid or someone who needs additional services such as Nursing Home or Home and Community Based Services.
Other Adults – Non-disabled members aged 19-64 on the first day of the month of eligibility
Public Health Emergency – The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) prevented state Medicaid agencies from disenrolling members from their Medicaid program, with very limited exceptions, during the COVID-19 federal public health emergency until the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (CAA 2023) ended this prohibition. The federal public health emergency was in effect from March 13, 2020, until May 11, 2023. Public Health Emergency Unwinding – The CAA 2023 required state Medicaid agencies to resume reviewing Medicaid members eligibility status annually beginning April 1, 2023. In South Carolina, the first Medicaid members who were disenrolled due to the restart of annual eligibility reviews were disenrolled in June 2023. This process, frequently known as the “unwinding” was in effect in South Carolina until Aug. 31, 2024. Thus, South Carolina’s peak Medicaid enrollment due to the FFCRA was in May 2023. Data about the public health emergency unwinding can be found on SCDHHS’ Medicaid Annual Eligibility Review Dashboard.