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MISSISSIPPI DIVISION OF MEDICAID Eligibility Policy and Procedures Manual CHAPTER 200A – Income: ABD Categories Page |66 Effective Month: July 2025 200A.07.13 BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS (BIA) GENERAL ASSISTANCE (GA) Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance (BIA GA) is a federally funded program administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) through its local agency or a tribe. The program makes periodic payments to needy Indians. The administering agency determines need according to the standards used by State welfare agencies for TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). BIA GA payments are federally funded income based on need and, therefore, count as income on a dollar-for-dollar basis regardless of whether they are paid in cash or in kind. The $50/$20 per month general income exclusion does not apply. 200A.07.14 FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION ASSISTANCE Foster Care An individual (adult or child) is considered to be in foster care when: • A public or private nonprofit agency places the individual under a specific placement program; and • The placement is in a home or facility which is licensed or otherwise approved by the state to provide care; and • The placing agency retains responsibility for continuing supervision of the need for such placement and the care provided. A foster care payment is a payment made to the foster care provider for meeting the needs of the individual in care. An agency may make an additional payment to the foster care provider, which is not intended to support the individual in care, for the provider’s own use. While these two payments may be combined and termed “foster care” payment by the issuing agency, only the part that is intended to meet the needs of the individual in care is the foster care payment. Treatment of foster care payments depends on the funding source of the payment, the purpose of the payment and whether the Medicaid recipient is the provider or beneficiary of the care. Adoption Assistance Adoption assistance programs provide payments and/or services for the child for whom unassisted adoption is unlikely because of age, ethnic background, disability, etc. The income of the adoptive parent, the adopted child or both may be considered in determining the payment. Usually, adoption assistance will be formalized by a written