Page 11

Louisiana Medicaid Eligibility Manual

Eligibility Factors Issued March 31, 2026

Page 11 of I-1400 Replacing October 16, 2025 Revised/added text indicated by underscore

Deleted text indicated by “” Spouse-to-Spouse Deeming

Step 1. Determine eligibility of the applicant/beneficiary based on their own income before determining whether deeming is applicable.

For deeming to apply in programs other than the Spend-Down Medically Needy Program (SD-MNP), the applicant/beneficiary must be eligible based on their own income. • Subtract the $20 disregard from unearned income, if applicable. • Subtract any remainder of the $20 disregard, and $65 and one-half of the remainder from gross earned income. • Compare the countable income to the appropriate current individual income limit. • For programs which use the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines (FPIG), compare to FPIG, not the Federal Benefit Rate (FBR). If the income is equal to or greater than the individual income limit, the applicant/beneficiary is ineligible. Consider eligibility in SD- MNP.

If the income is less than the individual income limit or if considering eligibility in SD-MNP, determine whether there is income to deem from the ineligible spouse.

Step 2. Determine whether any of the income of the ineligible spouse can be allocated to ineligible children. Do not include any child who receives FITAP or SSI. To calculate the unmet living allowance for each ineligible child, follow these steps: • The allocation for each ineligible child is the FBR for an eligible couple minus the FBR for an eligible individual. • Subtract the ineligible child's own income from the initial allocation. • The remaining amount is the child’s unmet living allowance. If there is no remainder, the child’s needs are met and no income is allocated to them.