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COMBINED MANUAL

ISSUE DATE 05/2022

ALLOWABLE SNAP MEDICAL EXPENSES

0018.12.03

MFIP, DWP, MSA, GA, GRH: No provisions.

SNAP: Allow the following medical expenses for units meeting the criteria in 0018.12 (Medical Deductions): ● Medical and dental care including psychotherapy and rehabilitation provided by a state licensed practitioner or other licensed professional.

● Hospital, outpatient treatment, nursing care, and nursing home care.

● Unreimbursed out-of-pocket prescription drug expenses and over the counter medication approved by a state licensed practitioner or other health professional.

● Medical or sickroom supplies and other prescribed equipment.

● Health and hospitalization insurance and Medicare premiums.

● Dentures, hearing aids, prescription eye glasses, and prosthetics.

● Costs of purchasing and maintaining service animals specially trained to serve the needs of elderly or disabled SNAP recipients. The animal must be prescribed or approved by a state licensed practitioner or qualified health professional as listed in 0011.39 (Qualified Professionals). Do not attempt to evaluate whether a prescribed treatment is necessary for an individual’s medical condition. Multiple animals may be prescribed depending on the medical condition. Verification for the care and maintenance of the animals are required to allow the deduction. This includes but is not limited to veterinary costs, food and treats, collars and leashes, grooming, medicine for the animal and continued training.

Note: Costs for animals that provide comfort, companionship or emotional support that are not specifically trained as a service animal are not allowed as a medical deduction. See 0002.61 (Glossary: SELF) for the definition of service animal.

● Transportation and lodging needed to get medical care. Use the flat rate deduction or itemize transportation expenses. See 0018.13 (Transportation Expense).

● Payments made to a loan used to pay a one-time only medical expense. However, expenses for the loan, such as interest are not allowed as a medical deduction.

● Maintaining an attendant, homemaker, home health aide, child care services, or housekeeper needed due to age, infirmity, or illness. Also allow an amount equal to the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) amount for 1 person if the unit provides the majority of the attendant's meals. Treat attendant care costs as a medical expense if they could qualify both as a medical and a dependent care deduction. See 0018.09 (Dependent Care Deduction).

● Expenses used to meet an MA spenddown. See the Minnesota Health Care Programs Eligibility Policy Manual. Do not automatically allow the total spenddown amount as an expense, unless you verified the expenses used to meet the spenddown at SNAP application or recertification and the unit has not reported further changes. Use a client's total medical expenses up to the amount of the spenddown. There are 2 medical spenddown types, 6-month and monthly. Do not assume clients who are on monthly medical spenddowns will always meet their spenddown.

For applications and recertifications received on or after June 1, 2006, for households with Medicare Part D deductions, allow the actual Medicare expenses incurred. This could include the following items:

- Medicare Part D premiums, if any. - Unreimbursed out-of-pocket prescription costs. - Other allowable medical expenses as outlined in this section.

Expenses must be within the SNAP time guidelines for acceptable expenses, and must be for people listed in 0018.12 (Medical Deductions). Some expenses used to meet a MA spenddown may be too old for SNAP purposes, and medical expenses for people other than the person eligible for the medical deduction may be used to meet a spenddown.