The Department prohibits employees of the Departments of Human Services, Workforce Services, or Health from advising or encouraging applicants for, or recipients of, public assistance programs to terminate employment or otherwise reduce income to qualify for an assistance program. This does not mean employees cannot tell applicants or recipients about the Medicaid spenddown program and the ways to reduce or meet the medical excess with medical bills to receive Medicaid coverage.
Workers can explain eligibility policies, tell individuals how we decide if someone is eligible for Medicaid, explain what income deductions an individual receives, and answer questions a individual asks about policies. (See 461-5 for rules on medical bills.)
If the individual has expenses and not enough income to cover the expenses, the individual must verify how they are meeting their expenses ( 731-1 ).