Good news for patients and caregivers in the PA Medical Marijuana Program. As a patient, you may be eligible for a no-cost patient identification card. In addition, new or first-time caregivers in the MMJ program will no longer need to pay fees for background checks.
On March 1, the PA Department of Health implemented Phase 1 and 2 of the PA Medical Marijuana Assistance Program (MMAP). This program is a special fund created by the State Treasury to financially assist eligible patients in the Medical Marijuana program.
Initially, patients eligible for financial assistance received a 50-percent discount on their annual identification card; eligible caregivers received 65-percent discount on their background check fees.
With this new enhancement to the program, eligible patients and caregivers will no longer pay an annual card fee, and new caregivers will no longer pay background check fees.
Patients and caregivers registered in an existing state financial hardship program are eligible for MMAP. These programs include:
- Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
- Medicaid
- Programs of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE)
- PACE Needs Enhancement Tier (PACENET)
- Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP)
- Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
What You Should Know About MMAP
- If you are eligible for one of the state’s financial hardship programs, your identification card fee will be removed during the online process.
- When you confirm you are participating in one of the state’s financial hardship programs, your fee will be reduced to $0, and no payment is required.
- First-time caregivers will not be charged a fee for background checks when they visit the IdentoGo website to be fingerprinted.
The next phase of the MMAP program will provide a monetary benefit to eligible patients. The start date for Phase 3 has not yet been announced, but this next phase will give patients a pre-determined amount of funding for medications. We will keep you informed when there are more details to share.
For more information on MMAP, visit PA MMAP
