How we value in-kind support and maintenance for a couple

(a) Both members of a couple live in another person's household and receive shelter and all of their meals from others living in the household. When both of you live in another person's household throughout a month, receive shelter from others living in the household, and others within the household pay for or provide you with all of your meals, we apply the one-third reduction to the Federal benefit rate for a couple (§ 416.1131).

(b) One member of a couple is in a medical institution and the other member of the couple lives in another person's household and receives shelter and all of their meals from others living in the household. (1) If one of you is living in the household of another person and receives shelter from others living in the household, and others within the household pay for or provide you with all of your meals, and the other is temporarily absent from the household as provided in § 416.1149(c)(1) (in a medical institution that receives substantial Medicaid payments for their care (§ 416.211(b))), and is ineligible in the month for either benefit payable under § 416.212, we compute your benefits as if you were separately eligible individuals (see § 416.414(b)(3)). This begins with the first full calendar month that one of you is in the medical institution. The one living in another person's household is eligible at an eligible individual's Federal benefit rate and one-third of that rate is counted as income not subject to any income exclusions. The one in the medical institution cannot receive more than the reduced benefit described in § 416.414(b)(3)(i).

(2) If the one member of the couple in the institution is eligible for one of the benefits payable under the § 416.212 provisions, we compute benefits as a couple at the rate specified under § 416.412. However, if that one member remains in the institution for a full month after expiration of the period benefits based on § 416.212 can be paid, benefits will be computed as if each person were separately eligible as described under paragraph (c)(1) of this section. This begins with the first calendar month after expiration of the period benefits based on § 416.212 can be paid.

(c) Both members of a couple are subject to the presumed value rule. If the presumed value rule applies to both of you, we value any shelter you and your spouse receive at one-third of the Federal benefit rate for a couple plus the amount of the general income exclusion (§ 416.1124(c)(12)), unless you can show that its value is less as described in § 416.1140(a)(2).