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15.5.18 Prison or Jail Job Count income that an inmate earns from a prison or jail job that pays less than minimum wage, such as jobs through Badger State Industries (BSI). This income does not need to be verified. 15.5.19 Virtual Currency Virtual currency is money that is a digital system not in U.S. dollars or other money system backed by a government. Examples may include, but are not limited to, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin. Traditional currency, such as the U.S. dollar, is used to purchase virtual currency, and virtual currency may be sold for traditional currency. Virtual currency does not refer to Venmo or PayPal. Venmo and PayPal are payment services that facilitate the movement of funds between people or businesses; they are not currencies. Income earned via Venmo or PayPal sales would most likely fall under self-employment income policies, not virtual currency. Virtual currency is counted as income when it is: • Received as payment for goods or services • Received by an independent contractor for performing services • Received from an employer as remuneration for services (i.e., wages) See SECTION 15.4.26 VIRTUAL CURRENCY for information about the sale of virtual currency. 15.5.20 Imputed Income Income imputed for premium costs of life insurance coverage in excess of $50,000 is countable as part of gross employment income for Medicaid. Example 3 Olga has life insurance coverage in excess of $50,000 through her employer. According to Olga’s paystub, her employer pays a portion of her life insurance premium. The value of this compensation is imputed income. Imputed income is added to Olga’s earnings before taxes are taken out. This imputed income is countable as earned income. This page last updated in Release Number: 26-02 Release Date: 04/15/2026 Effective Date: 04/15/2026 15.6 Self-Employment Income 15.6.1 Definitions 15.6.1.1 Income Self-employment income is income directly from one's own business rather than as an employee with a specified salary or wages from an employer. 15.6.1.2 Business Business means an occupation, work, or trade in which a person is engaged as a means of livelihood. 15.6.1.3 Operating A business is operating when it is ready to function in its specific purpose. The period of operation begins when the business first opens and generally continues uninterrupted up to the present. A business is operating even if there are no sales and no work is being performed. Thus a seasonal