MSA ASSISTANCE STANDARDS

ISSUE DATE: 03/2026

MFIP , SNAP , GA, HSP : No provisions. MSA: MSA has assistance standards whose use depends upon the applicant or participant’s circumstances including:

● The SSI Federal Benefit Rate (FBR) upon which the client's SSI grant is based. See 0029.06.03 (Supplemental Security Income Program). ● Whether a person is eligible for a home and community-based services (HCBS) waiver, including: - Community Access for Disability Inclusion (CADI). - Elderly Waiver (EW). - Brain Injury (BI). - Community Alternative Care for Chronically Ill Individuals (CAC). - Developmental Disabilities (DD). See the Minnesota Health Care Programs Eligibility Policy Manual for information on these programs. A person who is eligible for any HCBS waiver is considered to be living alone. ● Whether a person meets county plan requirements for Housing Support placement (HSP plan) though not actually living in a Housing Support setting. ● Whether a person is eligible for MSA Housing Assistance. See 0023.24 (MSA Housing Assistance) . A person who is eligible for MSA Housing Assistance is always considered to be living alone. Apply the “living alone” assistance standard when determining eligibility. ● A client's marital status. ● A client's living arrangement. Apply the living alone assistance standard if a person lives in their own residence without others. If a person lives with others, apply the living with others assistance standard UNLESS they: - Are eligible for an HCBS waiver. OR - Meet county plan requirements for Housing Support placement. OR - Are eligible for MSA Housing Assistance.

If a person does not meet one of the criteria above, determine whether they constitute a separate household from others who reside at that address. A separate household exists when a person:

- Is subject to an individual written lease or rental agreement. AND - Purchases, prepares, and eats meals separately from others in the household. AND - Has exclusive use of part of the residence (such as a bedroom).

A person who lives with others may or may not be receiving a reduced SSI benefit due to receiving In-kind Support and Maintenance (ISM). A person who lives with others and receives a reduced amount of SSI based on Federal Living Arrangement B cannot be considered a separate household.

MSA COMMUNITY STANDARDS The standard for MSA applicants and participants who live independently in the community is the total of the client's MSA assistance standard and any ongoing special needs allowances. See 0023 (Special Needs Payments) . If a married couple lives together and both partners are applying and have an MSA basis of eligibility, combine their incomes to determine eligibility and benefit level. Use the highest appropriate standard. A county may set its own standards at a higher level than the State Standards, but there is no State aid for the extra costs.

202 6 MSA MONTHLY ASSISTANCE STANDARDS Person living alone $1,055.00 Person living with others $755.33 Married couple living alone $1,582.00 Married couple living with others $1,058.00 Married couple living alone (pre-1994) $1,597.00 Married couple living with others (pre-1994). $1,321.00

APPLY THE LIVING ALONE STANDARD WHEN:

● A single person receives SSI with Federal Living Arrangement A and lives alone. ● A single person does NOT receive SSI solely due to excess income and lives alone. ● A single person lives with others, receives SSI with Federal Living Arrangement A, and is eligible for MA waivers, an HSP plan, MSA Housing Assistance, or is a separate household from others residing at that address. ● A single person lives with others, receives SSI with Federal Living Arrangement B, and is eligible for MA waivers, an HSP plan, or MSA Housing Assistance. ● A single person receives SSI with Federal Living Arrangement A due to a presidential disaster declaration and/or being homeless. ● A married person lives with his or her ineligible spouse and receives SSI with Federal Living Arrangement A or does not receive SSI due to excess income. ● A married person lives with an ineligible spouse and receives SSI with Federal Living Arrangement B and is eligible for MA Waivers, a HSP plan, or a shelter special need.

APPLY THE LIVING WITH OTHERS STANDARD WHEN:

● A person receives SSI with Federal Living Arrangement B, and is not eligible for MA waivers, an HSP plan, or MSA Housing Assistance. ● A person does NOT receive SSI solely due to excess income, and lives with others (including minor children but excluding spouse), and is NOT eligible for MA waivers, an HSP plan, or MSA Housing Assistance. ● A person receives SSI with Federal Living Arrangement A and lives with others (including minor children). Do not apply this standard to a person living only with a spouse ineligible for MSA (see "Apply the living alone standard when:" above.) ● A married person lives with his or her ineligible spouse and receives SSI with Federal Living Arrangement B, and is NOT eligible for MA waivers, an HSP plan, or MSA Housing Assistance.

APPLY THE MARRIED COUPLE LIVING ALONE STANDARD WHEN:

● A couple receives SSI with Federal Living Arrangement A or is ineligible for SSI solely due to excess income and lives alone. ● A couple receives SSI with Federal Living Arrangement A or is ineligible for SSI solely due to excess income, lives with others, and one or both is eligible for MA Waivers, an HSP plan, or MSA Housing Assistance. ● A couple receives SSI with Federal Living Arrangement A due to presidential disaster declaration and/or being homeless.

APPLY THE MARRIED COUPLE LIVING WITH OTHERS STANDARD WHEN:

● A couple lives with others and receives SSI with Federal Living Arrangement B or is ineligible for SSI solely due to excess income. ● A couple receives SSI with Federal Living Arrangement A, lives with others, and are NOT eligible for MA Waivers, a HSP plan, or MSA Housing Assistance.

MSA FACILITIES STANDARD: The assistance standard for people at the SSI $30 FBR (Federal Living Arrangement “D”) and living in facilities where personal needs are not otherwise provided, OR some children who are blind, is the personal needs allowance. See 0020.24 (Personal Needs Allowance) . A person hospitalized for illness may continue to receive their community standard established before being hospitalized if it is more than the personal needs allowance and if the person meets the conditions of temporary absence in 0014.09 (Assistance Units - Temporary Ab sence). MSA clients who are residents of a licensed residential facility are NOT eligible for any special needs allowances EXCEPT for representative payee services. See 0023.21 (Representative Payee Services). NOTE: Clients in a Minnesota Consolidated Chemical Dependency Treatment Fund (CCDTF) facility are NOT eligible for MSA.

PREVIOUS REVISIONS

Date Notes 01/2026 in MSA updates the MSA Assistance Standards to correspond with 01/26 COLA changes. 01/2025 in MSA updates the MSA Assistance Standards to correspond with 01/25 COLA changes. 04/2024 clarifies that separate household criteria are distinct from other exceptions to the MSA lives with other assistance standard and removes references to specific dollar figures from the assistance standards section and changes all references to people receiving SSI “based on the $xxx FBR” due to there is only one FBR from which all SSI payments are derived. 01/2024 in MSA updates the MSA Assistance Standards to correspond with 01/24 COLA changes. 01/2023 in MSA updates the MSA Assistance Standards to correspond with 01/23 COLA changes. 01/2022 in MSA updates the MSA Assistance Standards to correspond with 01/22 COLA changes. 01/2021 in MSA updates MSA Assistance Standards. Under the sub-heading APPLY THE $855 LIVING ALONE STANDARD WHEN adds language to the 3rd bullet and adds a new 4th bullet for clarity. 09/2020 in MSA under the sub-heading APPLY THE $847.34 (OR $1,110.34 PRE-1994) STANDARD FOR A MARRIED COUPLE LIVING WITH OTHERS WHEN adds and deletes language for clarity. 01/2020 in MSA updates the MSA Assistance Standards to correspond with 01/20 COLA changes. 03/2019 in MSA in the 1st paragraph in the 6th bullet re-adds "If a person lives with others, apply the living with others assistance standard UNLESS they:" for clarity. 01/2019 in MSA updates the MSA Assistance Standards. 09/2018 in MSA "If a person lives with others, apply the living with others assistance standard UNLESS they:" adds "OR" to clarify meeting any sub-bullet criteria qualifies client for living alone assistance standard. Adds lease/rental agreement must be written. 03/2018 in MSA in the 1st paragraph in the 6th bullet in the 4th sub-bullet adds "AND" to clarify all sub-bullet criteria must be met and deletes "If the client meets any of these criteria, apply the living alone assistance standard" for clarity. 02/2018 in MSA updates the MSA Assistance Standards to correspond with 01/18 COLA changes. It also updates MSA throughout. 12/2016 in MSA updates the MSA Assistance Standards to correspond with 01/17 COLA changes. 09/2016 updates the name of Community Alternatives for Disabled Individuals to Community Access for Disability Inclusion and updates the name and link of the Minnesota Health Care Programs Eligibility Policy Manual. No policy was changed. 01/2015 in MSA adds living alone assistance standard information throughout. It also updates the MSA Assistance Standards to correspond with COLA changes effective 01/01/15 12/2014 Removed WB. This program was suspended 12/1/14. 01/2014 in MSA updates the MSA Assistance Standards to correspond with COLA changes effective 01/01/14.

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