Medicaid is a jointly funded, Federal-State health insurance program for low-income and needy people. It covers children, the aged, blind, and/or disabled and other people who are eligible to receive federally assisted income maintenance payments. In Nebraska the Department of Health and Human Services use the same rules to decide eligibility for Medicaid as SSA uses for SSI, but requires the completion of a separate application.

What happens to my Medicaid when I go to work?

One of the biggest concerns SSI beneficiaries have about going to work is the possibility of losing Medicaid (www.socialsecurity.gov/disabilityresearch/wi/medicaid.htm) coverage. Section 1619(b) of the Social Security Act provides some protection for these beneficiaries allowing Medicaid coverage to continue even when your earnings along with other income become too high for an SSI payment.  To qualify for continuing Medicaid coverage, you must:

• Have been eligible for an SSI cash payment for at least 1 month;
• Still meet the disability requirement; and
• Still meet all other non-disability SSI requirements; and
• Need Medicaid benefits to continue to work; and
• Have gross earnings that are insufficient to replace SSI, Medicaid and publicly funded attendant care services.

This means that if you have earnings too high for an SSI cash payment you may be eligible for Medicaid if you meet the above requirements.  SSA uses a threshold amount to measure whether a person’s earnings are high enough to replace his/her SSI and Medicaid benefits. The 2011 threshold amount in Nebraska is $36,295.

If a SSI beneficiary has gross earnings higher than the threshold amount for his/her State, SSA can figure an individual threshold amount if that person has:

• Impairment-related work expenses (www.socialsecurity.gov/redbook/eng/ssdi-and-ssi-employments-supports.htm#3); or
• Blind work expenses (www.socialsecurity.gov/redbook/eng/blindrules.htm#2) ;  or
• A plan to achieve self-support (www.socialsecurity.gov/redbook/eng/ssi-only-employment-supports.htm#3); or
• Personal attendant whose fees are publicly funded; or
• Medical expenses above the average State amount.

You can refer to the following links for more information on 1619(b).

• www.ssa.gov/redbook/eng/ssi-only-employment-supports.htm#8
• www.socialsecurity.gov/redbook/eng/ssi-only-employment-supports.htm#8

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