Document checklist: what every application asks for

GATHER ONCE, USE EVERYWHERE

IDENTITY AND CONTACT

- Photo ID

- Date of birth

- Mailing address where you can reliably receive mail and packages

- Phone number and email you actually check

INSURANCE

- Front and back photo of every insurance card, including Medicare and Medicaid

- Your plan name, member ID, and group number

- If uninsured: the date your coverage ended, and the reason

- If on Medicare: your Part D plan name and whether you have Extra Help

INCOME (this is where most applications fail)

- Most recent federal tax return, all pages

- Two most recent pay stubs for every working household member

- Social Security or disability award letter, if applicable

- Unemployment benefit statement, if applicable

- If self-employed: a profit and loss statement or three months of bank statements

- If your income recently dropped: a termination letter, a reduced-hours notice, or anything dated that shows the change

HOUSEHOLD

- Number of people in your household as you would count them on a tax return

- Names and dates of birth for dependents

PRESCRIPTION

- Exact drug name, strength, and form. "Insulin" is not enough. "Humalog U-100 KwikPen" is.

- Daily dose and quantity per month

- Prescriber full name, NPI number, office phone, and office fax

- A current prescription, or the prescriber's willingness to sign the application

TIPS THAT SAVE WEEKS

- Scan everything to one folder on your phone before you start.

- Ask whether the program wants gross or net income. Answering the wrong one is a common denial reason.

- Fax is still the fastest route for most prescriber signatures. Ask the office for their fax number up front.

- Write the date you submitted and the reference number somewhere you will find it again.

- If two weeks pass with no word, call. Applications sit in queues and a phone call moves them.