Arizona starts the process nine months before you leave. Under SB 1290, effective January 1, 2024, the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry is required to begin gathering the documentation you need for a state ID nine months before your scheduled release date. If you do not have a current, valid nonoperating identification license or driver license, ADCRR must coordinate with the Arizona Department of Transportation to provide you with one before you leave. The department is also required to provide you with a Social Security card or replacement Social Security card if one is obtainable.
That nine-month window is not a suggestion. It is a legal requirement. If your release date is within nine months and your case manager has not asked you about your ID status, bring it up yourself. Ask specifically about the SB 1290 process. The state can use inmate trust fund monies and department funds to cover the costs -- you should not be leaving without identification because of fees.
What ADCRR Coordinates at Release
Under SB 1290, ADCRR is required to:
Determine whether you have a current valid ID or driver license nine months before release. If you do not, gather the required documentation and coordinate with ADOT to issue or replace your nonoperating identification license (the Arizona state non-driver photo ID) before discharge. Provide you with a Social Security card or replacement if obtainable. Provide any inmate who served in the U.S. military with the contact information for the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services and the ADVS veteran benefits guide.
ADCRR must also provide inmates discharged for felony offenses who intend to reside in Arizona with relevant documentation to assist in postrelease employment -- including training records and work records in addition to ID documents.
The ADCRR Community Reentry Bureau oversees two Community Reentry Centers and 22 field and support units in 12 field offices statewide, supervising approximately 5,500 active parolees. The DES and ARIZONA@WORK partnership -- active since 2017 -- operates Second Chance Centers and Community-Based Reentry Centers at or near ADCRR facilities, providing workforce services, document assistance, and benefits connections.
Getting Your Arizona State ID
If ADCRR has coordinated your state ID through the SB 1290 process, you should have a valid nonoperating identification license when you walk out. Confirm this with your case manager before release.
If for any reason you release without an ID -- or if your driver license was revoked and you need to address reinstatement separately -- the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division (MVD), operated by ADOT, handles all state ID and driver license issuance. Find your nearest AZ MVD office or use the online services at servicearizona.com. You will need your birth certificate, Social Security card, and proof of Arizona residency to apply.
Getting Your Social Security Card
ADCRR is required under SB 1290 to provide a Social Security card or replacement card if obtainable. Confirm whether this was completed before your release.
If not -- or if you need to handle it yourself -- contact the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213, apply online at ssa.gov, or visit your nearest SSA office. Replacement cards are free and typically arrive within 10 to 14 business days. Bring proof of identity (your state ID and birth certificate) to the SSA office if applying in person.
If your ADCRR facility had a prerelease agreement with the SSA, your case manager may have already initiated the SSA card and benefit application process up to 90 days before your scheduled release. Ask.
Getting Your Birth Certificate
If you were born in Arizona, request a certified copy from the Arizona Department of Health Services Vital Records office at azdhs.gov. Fees are currently $20 for the first copy. You can order by mail, in person, or online.
If you were born in another state, contact that state's vital records office. Your ADCRR case manager or a DES reentry specialist can help identify the correct contact. ADCRR and DES reentry programs can assist with out-of-state document requests.
Medicaid: AHCCCS
Arizona expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Arizona's Medicaid program is called AHCCCS (pronounced "access") -- the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System. If you meet income requirements as a low-income adult, you are generally eligible for AHCCCS coverage after release regardless of disability status or family situation.
Arizona is one of only 19 states with a CMS-approved Medicaid Section 1115 Reentry Demonstration Waiver. Under this waiver, AHCCCS can provide certain Medicaid-covered services up to 30 days before your release from an Arizona prison. This is a significant capability -- it means your healthcare coverage and care coordination can begin before you leave, not after.
AHCCCS partners with ADCRR and county jails to submit expedited Medicaid applications on behalf of inmates prior to release. Ask your case manager whether an AHCCCS application has been submitted for you. If not, ask for it to be initiated. AHCCCS Justice System Liaisons work directly with ADCRR and can be reached at Justice@azahcccs.gov.
After release, apply for AHCCCS coverage online at healthearizonaplus.gov (HEAplus) -- Health-e-Arizona Plus. HEAplus is a single portal where you can apply for AHCCCS (Medicaid), Nutrition Assistance (SNAP), and Cash Assistance (TANF) all at once. You can also apply by phone at 1-855-HEA-PLUS (1-855-432-7587) or in person at your local DES office.
SNAP: Nutrition Assistance
Arizona's SNAP program -- called Nutrition Assistance in Arizona -- is administered by the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES). Apply through HEAplus at healthearizonaplus.gov.
Arizona does not impose a lifetime ban on SNAP for people with felony drug convictions. You are generally eligible to apply immediately after release if you meet income and residency requirements.
SNAP benefits are typically issued on an EBT card within 30 days of a completed application. Expedited benefits for households with urgent need can be issued within 7 days.
SSI and SSDI
SSI and SSDI are federal disability programs administered by the Social Security Administration. If you had a qualifying disability before incarceration, these programs may be available to you after release.
SSI payments are suspended after one full calendar month of incarceration. If you were incarcerated for less than 12 consecutive months, SSI can be reinstated the month you are released -- contact SSA immediately. If incarcerated for 12 or more consecutive months, you must file a new application.
SSDI payments are suspended after 30 continuous days of incarceration following conviction. Contact SSA upon release with your official release documents.
AHCCCS coverage is often tied to SSI eligibility. If you are applying for SSI, notify AHCCCS as well -- Medicaid enrollment can follow automatically once SSI is approved.
Veterans Benefits
If you served in the U.S. military, ADCRR is required under SB 1290 to provide you with the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services contact information and the ADVS veteran benefits guide before release. If you did not receive this, contact ADVS at dvs.az.gov or call (602) 255-3373.
The Arizona Department of Veterans' Services has county veteran service officers across the state who can assist you with VA benefits applications at no charge. The VA Healthcare for Re-Entry Veterans (HCRV) program provides transitional case management and healthcare referrals specifically for veterans leaving incarceration.
VA benefits suspended during incarceration can be reinstated after release. Notify the VA of your release date and bring your military discharge documentation (DD-214) and your release documents to your first VA appointment.
Start Before You Leave
Arizona's system is designed to start the ID and benefits process before release -- not after. The nine-month ID gathering requirement, the AHCCCS 30-day pre-release Medicaid authority, the DES partnership with ADCRR, and the SSA prerelease agreement process all exist to reduce the gap between the gate and stability.
Use every piece of this system. Ask your case manager nine months out whether the SB 1290 ID process has started. Ask whether an AHCCCS application has been submitted. Ask whether your SSA Social Security card and benefit application have been initiated. If the answer to any of these is no, push for them.
If you are already within the window and pre-release processes were not started, move fast on release day. Go to the AHCCCS office or apply online at healthearizonaplus.gov for Medicaid and SNAP together in one application. Contact SSA at 1-800-772-1213 for your card and benefit reinstatement. Connect with your nearest DES ARIZONA@WORK office or Second Chance Center for employment and document assistance.
The infrastructure in Arizona is stronger than most states. The question is whether you use it. Start the conversation inside before the gate opens.