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2. Household members included in MAGI calculation – An individual’s household income is the sum of the MAGI-based income of every individual included in the individual’s household who is expected to be required to file a tax return. These rules are based on whether or not a person is “expected” to be required to file a tax return; it does not matter whether they eventually do so or not. 3. Use of current income and accounting for reasonably predicted changes – For new Medicaid applicants, the State must use a household’s current monthly income and household size when evaluating eligibility. A prorated portion of reasonably predictable changes in income, if there is a basis for anticipating the changes, such as a signed contract for employment, a clear history of predictable fluctuations in income, or other indications of future changes in income may be considered in determining eligibility. Future changes in income and household size must be verified in accordance with the verification and reasonable compatibility requirements as delineated in this Part. 4. Comparing household income to the FPL – To determine income eligibility for Medicaid based on the MAGI calculation, the State must compare a household’s current monthly income to the FPL guidelines for the appropriate household size. The State must use the most recently published FPL level in effect in the month during which an applicant applies for coverage. If an applicant’s FPL level is within five (5) percentage points over the FPL for the coverage group for which they would be eligible, a disregard of five (5) percentage points of the FPL shall be added to the highest income eligibility standard listed above for that coverage group. 5.7 Verification of Income Using the MAGI Methodology A. To achieve the ACA’s goal of improving and streamlining access to all forms of affordable coverage, including Medicaid, the federal government established a data hub containing information related to various eligibility factors. The federal data hub facilitates the electronic information exchange necessary to verify eligibility both at the time of initial application and during annual renewals thereafter. States have the flexibility to augment the electronic verification process the federal data hub uses with any additional data bases deemed appropriate. Rhode Island has elected to combine the use of electronic data sources for income verification including those that are commercially available, available through federal partners, and those that are available at the state-level to ensure accuracy, timeliness and completeness. B. The purpose of § 5.8 of this Part is to identify the principal facets of the verification process, including the electronic matches made through the federal data hub, and State-automated data bases and alternatives. In addition, the provisions of this rule also set forth the respective roles and responsibilities of the