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BEM 100 2 of 18 INTRODUCTION BPB 2026-014 5-1-2026

BRIDGES ELIGIBILITY MANUAL STATE OF MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Medical Assistance Program The Medical Assistance Program was established by the Social Security Act. Amendments to the Social Security Act by the U.S. Congress affect the administration and scope of the MA program. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) administers the Social Security Act. Within HHS, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is responsible for the administration of the Medicaid (MA) program. HHS develops and issues federal regulations that set the require- ments and guidelines for states to follow in the determination of MA eligibility. Each state must submit a state plan for MA. When federal statute or regulations provide for options, the state plan must indi- cate which optional provisions the state selects. In selecting optional provisions and developing policy, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is governed primarily by state statutes. The state plan must be approved by HHS and the governor's clearinghouse for conformity to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Michigan Compiled Laws (MCL), and federal court orders. Legal bases are provided at the end of each program manual item. Program Goal MA provides medical assistance to individuals and families who meet the MA financial and nonfinancial eligibility factors. The goal of the MA program is to ensure that essential health care services are made available to those who otherwise would not have financial resources to purchase them. Disability related Medicaid and Group 2 Medicaid eligibility can be obtained through several individual categories that are listed in BEM 105. MAGI Medicaid and Healthy Michigan Plan policy is available at www.michigan.gov/MDHHS and BEM, Bridges Eligibility Manual. Food Assistance Program (FAP) The Food Assistance Program (FAP) was established by the Federal Food and Nutrition Act of 2008. The Act places responsibility for the administration of the Food Assistance program with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) at the national