​Online Requests - DSS Customer Connection

• Basic Facts
  • For more information about how to apply for Mecklenburg County DSS services visit the DSS Website
  • DHHS Program Fact Sheet English | Spanish
  • Department of Health and Human Services
• Offices & Locations
  DSS offices locations are open Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5 p.m. We're located at:
  • Wallace H. Kuralt Centre, 301 Billingsley Road Charlotte, NC 28211
  • Community Resource Center 3205 Freedom Drive Charlotte, NC 28208

Call Customer Connection at 704-336-3000 to inquire about the documents. When you call, have the following information ready:

• A description of the information/documentation you sent
• The date you dropped it off or mailed it to the agency
• Your address & phone number

Notes:

• Please allow 48 hours for a case manager to receive your fax.
• DSS cannot accept Medicaid applications via fax or internet (i.e. email).

To check the status of an application/recertification for benefits please call 704-336-3000. 

We make every attempt to meet the following processing times.

• FNS applications: expedited cases within 7 days, regular cases within 30 days
• Medicaid MAD program applications within 90 days
• TANF, NCHC applications and all other Medicaid programs, within 45 days

If the date of your application is still within that processing time, chances are that your application has not yet been processed.  Please allow the full processing time to expire before you call to request the status of your application.  Once your worker has processed your application, you will receive a letter in the mail indicating if your case was approved or denied.

Call Customer Connection at 704-336-3000 to report these changes. When you call, have the following information ready:

• Date of change
• New information: new income, new address, etc.

Note: We cannot process a change report until the change has occurred. For example, please do not report a change of address until you have moved or a new job until you have actually started.

• What happened to your original card? Why do you need a card?
• Your address & phone number
• Notes: Medicaid cards are only provided once per year. When you are approved for Medicaid, you will receive a Medicaid identification card in the mail. You will only receive one Medicaid identification card each year unless you have changed your primary care physician, had a legal name change, or have requested a new card due to being lost, destroyed or stolen. The card is gray. The card contains your name, address, date of birth, and Medicaid identification number. For more information, visit: http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dma/medicaid/midcard.htm

North Carolina’s Medicaid offers managed care which provides you with a medical home and a primary care provider (PCP) who will coordinate your medical care. In Mecklenburg County managed care is called Carolina Access. You can choose a medical home with a primary doctor. A medical home can be chosen for each family member. If you do not choose a medical home, you will be automatically assigned to one. Visit www.ccpgm.org to view the provider directory or call Community Care Partners of Greater Mecklenburg at 704-512-5555 for advice on provider selection.

Once you know which provider you want, you may contact Customer Connection (704-336-3000) or go to the Primary Care Provider Form to select or change your provider. When making your request, please have the following information ready: provider's name and address. The Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services can only honor requests if the case is actively receiving Medicaid in Mecklenburg County.

As a Medicaid managed care member, you are eligible for all the services that Medicaid covers. Being a member also has the following advantages:

• You can call your primary doctor day or night for medical advice. Check your Medicaid ID card for your doctor’s daytime and after-hours phone numbers.
• You may have a care manager who can help you understand and manage your health care. A care manager can show you how to stay healthy. Ask your doctor for more information about obtaining a care manager and how a care manager can help you.
• You receive regular sick care and well care at your medical home. These services include:
  • Yearly physical check-ups
  • Immunizations
  • Pap smears
  • Prescriptions for medicines when necessary
• Your primary doctor will make referrals to other doctors if you need special care not provided in your primary doctor’s office. Examples of special services may be mammograms or other tests needed to diagnosis a health problem.
• Your request will be processed within 5 business days of the request. If you are requesting a change in providers, and your change is processed prior to the 25 of the month, you will be considered as a patient of the new provider the very next month and will receive a new Medicaid card that month with the name of the new provider listed on the card. If your change is processed after the 25th of the month, you will not be considered as a patient of that new provider until the 2nd month after the change is processed. You will receive a new Medicaid card with the name of the new provider on the 2nd month after the change is processed.

To report potential welfare fraud in Mecklenburg County, please contact the Fraud Unit at 704-353-0600 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. You will be able to speak to an Investigator trained in collecting the necessary information. Outside of regular business hours you may call the 24-hour automated Welfare Fraud Hotline number at 704-353-0400. All information you provide is confidential, and you can remain anonymous.

If you are a client, please contact Customer Connection at 704-336- 3000 to request a case closure.

Call the Child Support Enforcement Department at 704-432-9300 to apply, obtain answers about your case, make payments, establish paternity, etc. or visit http://charmeck.org/CSE.

Visit www.charmeck.org/adopt to:

• View profiles of children awaiting adoption.
• Register for an upcoming orientation or matching event.
• Learn about the adoption and foster care process.

To learn more about adopting or foster parenting, contact us at 704-336-KIDS (5437).

To report abuse, neglect or exploitation of a child or adult, immediately call the Care Line at 704-336-2273. All information you provide is confidential, and you can remain anonymous.

• Contact Just 1 Call for information about services for seniors and disabled adults by visiting www.Just1Call.org or calling 704-432-1111. The website includes a link to a searchable database of local resources.
• Dial 311 or 211 for City/County Services in Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, and some surrounding counties.
• To check your potential eligibility for the following services/resources, visit ePASS epass.nc.gov Food and Nutrition Services (formerly Food Stamps)
  • Emergency Assistance
  • Work First Cash Assistance
  • Crisis Intervention Program (CIP)
  • Simplified Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP)

• For Social Security information, please call the Social Security Administration at 704-535-6016 or toll free 800-772-1213. Visit http://www.ssa.gov for additional information.
• For Medicare related questions, visit www.Medicare.gov.

Guidelines for submitting a Medicaid Bus Pass Request Form

1. The online request form is only for Medicaid Bus Pass reservations.
2. The trip form must be completed in its entirety.

The following requests cannot be made via the online form:

• Cancellations
• First time riders
• Group trips (trips consisting of 5 or more riders)
• Non-medical trips
• Trips requiring  multiple stops
• Veteran trips

For customers who have scheduled a subscription within the last 6 months and for whom DSS has received and approved their prior authorization paperwork for a new subscriptions, please use the online request form to request another transportation subscription.

Notes:

1. If you do not meet both criteria, you must call Transportation Scheduling at 704-336-4547 in order to request a subscription.
2. The following requests cannot be made via the online form; instead they must be made by calling the Transportation Scheduling: 704-336-4547.
   • Bus Pass requests
   • Cancellations
   • Changes to existing subscriptions
   • First time riders
   • Group trips (trips consisting of 5 or more riders)
   • Non-medical trips
   • One time appointments
   • Trips requiring multiple stops
   • Trips that require pre-authorization
   • Trips that require temporary exemptions
   • Veteran Trips​

Qualified veterans are transported to and from Veterans Affairs hospitals in North Carolina and to and from medical clinics in Charlotte. Call the Veterans Services Office at 704-336-2102 for more information. Cost: No fare.

To request transportation assistance, please call 704-336-4547 or click here to start the process online.