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D. Financial Eligibility 1. Assistance Unit a. Initial eligibility determination To qualify for MEDICAID WORKS, the individual must meet the assistance unit policy and procedures in chapter M05 that apply to ABD non-institutionalized individuals. Individuals receiving SSI or who have 1619(b) status must also meet the income requirement for entry into MEDICAID WORKS. Income from a non-ABD spouse, non-applicant/member ABD spouse, or parents is not considered deemable income and is not counted for the initial eligibility determination for individuals requesting to participate in MEDICAID WORKS. Resources from the individual's spouse with whom he lives or, if under age 21, the individual’s parents with whom he lives, must be deemed available. b. Ongoing eligibility

Once the individual is enrolled in MEDICAID WORKS, the individual is treated as an assistance unit of one. Spousal and parental resources and income are disregarded for ongoing enrollee eligibility.

Note: Children and non-spouse dependents are not included in the assistance unit when determining eligibility for MEDICAID WORKS. 2. Resources a. Initial eligibility determination

For the initial eligibility determination, the resource limit is $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple. Resources must be evaluated for all individuals, including SSI recipients and QSII/(1619(b) individuals, who wish to qualify for MEDICAID WORKS. The resource requirements in chapter S11 and Appendix 2 to chapter S11 apply for the initial eligibility determination. The individual's countable, nonexempt resources must be verified. All countable resources, must be added together to determine if the individual’s countable resources are within the limit. WIN accounts and other non-countable resources are excluded from the resource determination. b. Ongoing eligibility Once the individual is enrolled in MEDICAID WORKS, the following resource policies apply: 1) For earnings accumulated after enrollment in MEDICAID WORKS, up to the current 1619(b) income threshold amount will be disregarded if deposited and retained in the WIN Account. The 2024 1619(b) threshold amount is $45,976 (decreased from the 2023 amount). The 2025 1619(b) threshold amount is $59,755. 2) Resources accumulated while in MEDICAID WORKS and held in Internal Revenue Service (IRS)-approved retirement accounts, medical or health savings accounts, medical reimbursement (flex) accounts, education accounts, independence