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You may be entitled to free temporary medical assistance from the State by getting a "temporary medical card" or "T Card."
If you applied for medical assistance through Medicaid and the State has not made a timely decision on your application, you may be eligible to receive a card to use at your doctor, pharmacy, and hospital until your Medicaid application is decided.
When Can I Request a Temporary Medical Card?
The State has 45 days to process most medical assistance applications. The State has 60 days to process applications related to disabilities. If you have provided the information requested on your application and the State has not decided your application by these deadlines, you should receive in the mail a Notice of Possible Entitlement to Temporary Medical Assistance (called an HFS 2350 Notice). That Notice will explain how you can request a temporary medical card to receive free temporary medical assistance.
How do I get a Temporary Medical Card?
You must request a temporary medical card to receive one. You can request a temporary medical card in any of the following ways:
- Call the All Kids Unit toll free at 1-877-805-5312 (TTY: 1-877-204-1012). After choosing English or Spanish, press 8 to request a temporary medical card.
- Online by logging into Application Benefits Eligibility (ABE)/Manage My Case at https://abe.illinois.gov/abe/access/
- Contact your local office in person
- Write to P.O. Box 19138, Springfield, IL 62794 or the office where you applied
- By telephone to the office where you applied
FAQs
You may be entitled to free temporary medical assistance regardless of your income or other financial resources.
The Notice will tell you when you can start receiving temporary medical assistance.
Temporary medical assistance does not cover long-term services and supports. Those services may be covered by Provisional Eligibility. More information is available at https://www.illinois.gov/hfs/MedicalProviders/ltss/ltc/Pages/FAQ.aspx .
You are not responsible for medical expenses paid on your behalf while you are receiving temporary medical assistance.
