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2. “Couple” means a person seeking initial or continuing eligibility for Medicaid and their spouse, regardless of whether the spouse is also an applicant or beneficiary unless otherwise indicated. 3. “Federal benefit rate” or “FBR” means the amount of the monthly cash assistance authorized by the Social Security Administration for the recipients of the SSI program. The FBR is the SSI income eligibility standard, as adjusted for the number of cash recipients, living arrangement and SSP levels. 4. “Financial responsibility unit” or “FRU” means the group of persons living with the person seeking Medicaid benefits whose income and resources are considered available when determining financial eligibility and, as such, may count and/or be attributed to others in the household when the deeming process applies. 5. “Medicaid eligibility group” means the total number of persons counted in a household – that is, the family size involved – when identifying the FPL income level that applies when determining a person’s Medicaid eligibility. 6. “Medicaid health coverage” means the full scope of essential health care services and supports authorized under the State’s Medicaid State Plan and/or Section 1115 Waiver, and provided through an authorized Medicaid delivery system. The term does not apply to partial dual eligible persons who, under the provisions of this Chapter, qualify only for financial assistance through the Medicare Premium Payment Program (MPPP) to help pay Medicare cost-sharing. 7. "Medically necessary service" means a medical, surgical, or other service required for the prevention, diagnosis, cure, or treatment of a health- related condition including any such services that are necessary to slow or prevent a decremental change in medical and/or mental health status. 8. “Medically needy” or “MN” means the IHCC pathway for elders, persons with disabilities, parents/caretakers, and certain pregnant people and children with income above the limits for their applicable Medicaid coverage group who incur enough health expenses during a set period to spenddown to the eligibility threshold for coverage. 9. "Section 1115 Waiver" means the waiver authorized pursuant to § 1115 of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1315. 10. “SSI methodology” means the basis for determining Medicaid eligibility that uses the definitions and calculations for evaluating income and resources established by the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) for the SSI program. 3.2.5 Key Elements of the SSI Methodology