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Chapter 3: Household Income Rev. 8/2012 1 Chapter 3: Household Income (A) Time Frames Used

The three full calendar months prior to the month the application was date-stamped are used when determining eligibility. There is an exception to this.

When the application is signed one month by the client and received in the office within the first 7 days of the next month. As a customer service feature in that case, the three months prior to the date the client signed the application may be used.

Example: If a client signs an application May 30th and it is not received until June 5th the time frame corresponding with a May application… February, March and April… can be used. However, if the application is signed May 30th but is not received until after June 7th, March, April and May is the time frame that must be used.

(B) Categorically Income Eligible

Cases will be considered “Categorically income eligible” if they meet one of the following criteria-

a) If all individuals on the low income energy assistance application are recipients of the SNAP program and/or whose income was considered in the SNAP eligibility determination. b) If all individuals on the LIEAP application are recipients of a Medical Savings Program (MSP) and/or whose income was considered in the Medical eligibility determination. c) Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Recipients- Individuals who are recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are automatically eligible for Medicaid on the basis of their eligibility for that cash assistance program and are to be included in an assistance unit when SSI payments are expected to continue. Eligibility for SSI is determined by the Social Security Administration. For medical categorically eligible households the worker must include the SSI recipient and all income the SSI recipient received in the time frame.

d) Newborn children-If a child is born prior to the application being approved and is not yet included on the SNAP case, the household would still be considered categorically eligible as the newborn child would have no income to include in the household. If using more than one snap or medical savings program case for categorically eligible the cases must be the same type ie. 2 snap cases or 2 medical (QMB) but not one of each. Narration must exist on the case that two snap or 2 medical cases were used and list the second case number. If the worker has knowledge of income in the household that is not reported or counted by SNAP, the worker is to verify the income and refer the case to Monica or Patty who will forward the information to the Regional Manager and Supervisor for that district. The case will be processed using the actual income and not the income from the SNAP case. Narration must exist on the case explaining why SNAP was not used.