Application of financial eligibility methodologies

(a) Definitions. For purposes of this section, cash assistance financial methodologies refers to the income and resources methodologies of the OAA, AFDC, AB, APTD, and AABD programs.

(c) Financial responsibility of relatives. The agency must use the requirements for financial responsibility of relatives specified in § 436.602.

(d) Use of less restrictive methodologies than under cash assistance program. (1) At State option, and subject to the conditions of paragraphs (d)(2) through (d)(5) of this section, the agency may apply income and resource methodologies that are less restrictive than the cash assistance methodologies in determining financial eligibility of the following groups:

(i) Qualified pregnant women and children under the mandatory categorically needy group under § 436.120;

(ii) Low-income pregnant women, infants, and children specified in section 1902(a)(10)(i) (IV), (VI), and (VII) of the Act;

(iii) Qualified Medicare beneficiaries specified in sections 1902(a)(10)(E) and 1905(p) of the Act;

(iv) Optional categorically needy individuals under groups established under subpart C of this part and section 1902(a)(10)(A)(ii) of the Act; and

(v) Medically needy individuals under groups established under subpart D of this part and section 1902(a)(10)(C)(i)(III) of the Act.

(2) The income and resource methodologies that an agency elects to apply to groups of individuals under paragraph (c)(1) of this section may be less restrictive, but no more restrictive, than:

(i) For groups of aged, blind, and disabled individuals, the SSI methodologies; or

(ii) For all other groups, the methodologies under the State plan most closely categorically related to the individual's status.

(3) A financial methodology is considered to be no more restrictive if, by using the methodology, additional individuals may be eligible for Medicaid and no individuals who are otherwise eligible are by use of that methodology made ineligible for Medicaid.

(4) The less restrictive methodology applied under this section must be comparable for all persons within each category of assistance (aged, or blind, or disabled, or AFDC-related) within each eligibility group. For example, if the agency chooses to apply a less restrictive income or resource methodology to aged individuals, it must apply that methodology to an eligibility group of all aged individuals within the selected group.

(5) The application of the less restrictive income and resource methodologies permitted under this section must be consistent with the limitations and conditions on FFP specified in subpart K of this part.

(e) [Reserved]

(f) State plan requirements. (1) The State plan must specify that, except to the extent precluded by § 436.602 in determining financial eligibility of individuals, the agency will apply the cash assistance financial methodologies and requirements, unless the agency chooses to apply less restrictive income and resource methodologies, in accordance with paragraph (d) of this section.

(2) If the agency chooses to apply less restrictive income and resource methodologies, the State plan must specify:

(i) The less restrictive methodologies that will used; and

(ii) The eligibility groups or groups to which the less restrictive methodologies will be applied.