If you do not have Medicaid or NJ FamilyCare and your household income is not more than 100% of the poverty level (see examples below), you may be eligible now for FamilyCare coverage.

NJ FamilyCare reopened on September 1, 2005, to provide free health insurance coverage for parents of minor children whose household gross income is not more than 100% of the federal poverty level.

Here are some examples of household limits for 2005 (the amounts will increase slightly for 2006):

100% for a family of 2 is $1,070.00 a month
100% for a family of 3 is $1,341.00 a month
100% for a family of 4 is $1,613.00 a month
100% for a family of 5 is $1,885.00 a month
100% for a family of 6 is $2,156.00 a month

If you think you might be eligible, you can call your county board of social services or NJ FamilyCare for an application at 1-800-701-0710 or print one from NJ FamilyCare (see link below) and mail it in.

For help with your application, you can also call LSNJ-LAW^TM, Legal Services of New Jerseys statewide toll-free legal hotline, at 1-888-LSNJ-LAW (1-888-576-5529), Monday through Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Tell the person who answers your call that you want to apply for NJ FamilyCare. A trained paralegal will call you back within 24 hours to help you with an application. The hotline will advise you about your eligibility for NJ FamilyCare, submit your application, send you a copy, and track it until you are accepted in the program.

This article originally appeared in the November 2005 issue of Looking Out for Your Legal Rights^®.

Links

• NJ FamilyCare
  This State Web site for NJ FamilyCare describes the program and includes enrollment, eligibility, and contact information.