State Assistance Programs for SSI Recipients, January 2004

New Jersey

State Supplementation

Mandatory Minimum Supplementation

Administration: Social Security Administration.

Optional State Supplementation

Administration: Social Security Administration.

Effective date: January 1, 1974.

Statutory basis for payment: New Jersey Statutes Annotated, 44:7-86.

Funding

Administration: State funds.

Assistance: State funds.

Passalong method: Maintaining payment levels.

Place of application: Social Security Administration field offices.

Scope of coverage: Optional state supplement provided to all aged, blind, and disabled recipients, including children, except those in publicly operated community residences or facilities where Medicaid pays less than 50 percent of the cost of care. Supplementation provided to recipients in approved residential facilities.

Resource limitations: Federal SSI regulations apply.

Income exclusions: Federal SSI regulations apply.

Recoveries, liens, and assignments: None.

Financial responsibility of relatives: None.

Interim assistance: State participates.

Payment levels: See Table 1.

Table 1. Optional state supplementation payment levels, January 2004 (in dollars)
Living arrangement State
code		 Combined federal
and state		 State supplementation
Individual Couple Individual Couple
Congregate care facility a A 714.05 1,409.36 150.05 563.36
Living alone or with others B 595.25 871.36 31.25 25.36
Living alone or with an ineligible spouse b C 871.36 . . . 307.36 . . .
Living with an essential person c C 871.36 . . . 25.36 . . .
Living in the household of another D 420.31 657.09 44.31 93.09
Medicaid facility G 40.00 80.00 10.00 20.00
NOTE: . . . = not applicable.
a. State supplement includes a $67.50 personal needs allowance per person per month.
b. Federal criteria are used in determining an ineligible spouse. Applies to recipients who live with either their ineligible spouse only, or with only their ineligible spouse and foster child(ren).
c. Payment levels for essential person apply only to cases converted from former state assistance programs.
DEFINITIONS:
A: Congregate care facility
Includes recipients in:
  • Residential heath care facilities, assisted-living residences, or comprehensive personal care homes licensed by the Department of Health.
  • Recipients in residential facilities for children and adults under the supervision of or placement by the Division of Developmental Disabilities or the Division of Youth and Family Services and approved by the Department of Human Services.
B: Living alone or with others
Includes recipients residing in a federal Code A or C living arrangement who do not meet the definitions of other state living arrangements. Includes persons in:
  • The Transitional Residency Program when their placement is through the Division of Mental Health and Hospitals, Department of Human Services,
  • Room and board facilities licensed by the Department of Community Affairs, and
  • Persons in medical facilities who reside in a federal Code A living arrangement on the basis of their eligibility under section 1611(e)(1)(E) of the Social Security Act.
C: Living alone or with an ineligible spouse.
  • Applies to recipients who live with their ineligible spouse only or with their ineligible spouse and foster children only.
  • Uses federal criteria. Recipient currently has an essential person living in the household and in December 1973 was receiving assistance under an approved state plan that covered the needs of an essential person.
D: Living in the household of another
Includes recipients residing in a federal Code B living arrangement.
G: Medicaid facility
Includes recipients residing in a federal Code D living arrangement.

Number of recipients: See Table 2.

Table 2. Number of persons receiving optional state supplementation, January 2004
Living arrangement State
code		 Total Aged Blind Disabled
Adults Children
All recipients 147,463 32,983 909 87,073 26,498
Congregate care facility A 6,445 448 10 5,539 448
Living alone or with others B 113,904 22,349 686 67,663 23,206
Living alone or with an ineligible spouse C 5,599 2,567 53 2,968 11
Living in the household of another D 17,673 6,829 150 8,371 2,323
Medicaid facility G 3,842 790 10 2,532 510
 

State Assistance for Special Needs

Administration

State Department of Human Services, Division of Family Development.

Special Needs Circumstances

Emergency assistance for catastrophic events and burial and funeral payments. Eligibility for payments based on meeting requirements for mandatory minimum or optional state supplementary payments.

Medicaid

Eligibility

Criteria: SSI program guidelines (Title XVI).

Determined by: Social Security Administration.

Medically Needy Program

State provides a program for the aged, blind, and disabled medically needy.

Unpaid Medical Expenses

The Social Security Administration obtains this information.