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MISSISSIPPI DIVISION OF MEDICAID Eligibility Policy and Procedures Manual CHAPTER 200A – Income: ABD Categories Page |33 Effective Month: July 2025 200A.06.01 WHEN TO COUNT UNEARNED INCOME Unearned income is counted as income in the earliest month it is: • Received by the individual. • Credited to the individual’s account. • Set aside for the individual’s use. NOTE: To determine when to count retroactive RSDI benefits, refer to 200A.07.02. 200A.06.02 UNEARNED INCOME EXCLUSIONS An exclusion is an amount of income that does not count in determining eligibility and payment amount. Except for the $50/$20 general exclusion, no unused unearned income exclusion may be applied to earned income. 200A.06.03 EXPENSES OF OBTAINING INCOME The amount of unearned income which must be counted in determining eligibility for Medicaid is the gross amount due the client; however, the gross amount of unearned income may be reduced by certain expenses that are an essential factor in obtaining a particular payment(s). Therefore, unearned income does not include that part of a payment that is for an essential expense incurred in getting the payment. For example: • From a payment received for damages in connection with an accident, subtract legal, medical and other expenses connected with the accident. • From a retroactive check from a benefit program other than SSI, subtract legal fees connected with that claim. The following fees are considered essential to obtaining income and are allowed as deductions: • Document Fees – A fee to acquire documentation to establish that an individual has a right to certain income is an essential expense and reduces the amount of unearned income which is countable. Examples include fees for obtaining birth or death certificates, legal papers, medical examinations, filing fees, etc. • Guardianship Fees – A guardianship fee is an essential expense only if the presence of a guardian is a requirement for receiving the income.