Page 7

1. Work-related protections – Some applicants/beneficiaries may qualify for several of the same special provisions available to applicants and beneficiaries that reduce or protect earned income set forth in Subchapter 00 Part 3 of this Chapter, including but not limited to: a. PASS Disregard – Income, whether earned or unearned, of a person who is blind or living with a disabling impairment may be excluded if such income is needed to fulfill a Plan for Achieving Self-Support (PASS). This exclusion does not apply to applicants who are age sixty-five (65) or older, unless the applicant was receiving SSI or State Supplemental Payment (SSP) before reaching that age. For additional information on the PASS, see the Federal SSI Regulations at 20 C.F.R. §§ 416.1180 through 416.1182. b. Impairment-Related Work Expenses – Earned income used by a person with disabilities to pay impairment-related work expenses is disregarded. For the disregard to apply, the person must have a disability and be under age sixty-five (65) or have been eligible for and received SSI based on disability for the month before reaching age sixty-five (65). In addition, the following must be met: (1) The severity of the impairment must require the person to purchase or rent items and services in order to work; (2) The expense must be reasonable given the nature of the disability or impairment and the type of employment, as determined by the agency; (3) The expense must be paid in cash (including checks, money orders, credit cards and/or charge cards) by the person and must not be reimbursable from another source, such as Medicare or private insurance; and (4) The payment for the expense must be made in a month the person receives earned income and anticipated work or worked and used the services or the item purchased, or the person must be working and pay the expense before earned income is received. (5) Impairment-related work expenses that may qualify for this disregard are described in Federal SSI Regulations at 20 C.F.R. § 416.976. b. Student Child Earned Income Exclusions (SEIE) – For a student under age twenty-two (22) or a person who is blind or disabled and regularly attending school, a set amount of earned income per month up to a yearly maximum may be excluded. The Federal