State Assistance Programs for SSI Recipients, January 2006

Wisconsin

State Supplementation

Mandatory Minimum Supplementation

Administration: No recipients.

Optional State Supplementation

Administration: State Department of Health and Family Services, Division of Disability and Elder Services.

Effective date: January 1, 1974.

Statutory basis for payment: Wisconsin Statutes 49.77 and 49.775.

Funding

Administration: State funds.

Assistance: State funds.

Passalong method: Maintaining total expenditures.

Place of application: Social Security Administration field offices.

Scope of coverage: Optional state supplement provided to all eligible persons, including children, residing in the specified living arrangements. Residents of emergency shelters or patients in medical facilities where Medicaid pays more than 50 percent of the cost of care are not eligible for supplementation.

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 calculation method: Recipients residing in the specified living arrangements are paid an established state supplement based on eligibility for a federal SSI benefit of at least $1.

Payment levels: See Table 1.

Table 1. Optional state supplementation payment levels, January 2006 (in dollars)
Living arrangement Combined federal and state State supplementation
Individual Couple Individual Couple
Living independently 686.78 1,036.05 83.78 132.05
Living in the household of another 485.78 734.72 83.78 132.05
Living independently with an ineligible spouse 733.43 . . . 130.43 . . .
Living in the household of another with an ineligible spouse 537.05 . . . 135.05 . . .
Private nonmedical group home or natural residential setting 782.77 1,381.41 179.77 477.41
SOURCES: Social Security Administration, Office of Income Security Programs; state information.
NOTES: A caretaker supplement is provided to SSI recipients with children: $250 for first child; $150 for each additional child.
. . . = not applicable.
DEFINITIONS:
Living independently
Includes recipients living in their own households, in private medical treatment facilities where Medicaid pays 50 percent or less of the cost of their care, or in nonmedical institutions. Also includes persons in medical facilities who are classified in a federal Code A living arrangement under section 1611(e)(1)(E) of the Social Security Act.
Living in the household of another
Includes recipients residing in a federal Code B living arrangement.
Living independently with an ineligible spouse
Includes recipients living in their own household with an ineligible spouse.
Living in the household of another with an ineligible spouse
Includes recipients residing in a federal Code B living arrangement who have an ineligible spouse.
Private nonmedical group home or natural residential setting
Restricted to recipients who require a supportive living arrangement and reside in private nonmedical group homes or in a natural residential setting with support. Eligibility is based on certification, on an individual basis, by the state.

Number of recipients: See Table 2.

Table 2. Number of persons receiving optional state supplementation, January 2006
Living arrangement Total Aged Blind Disabled
Adults Children
All recipients 97,474 9,529 995 63,901 23,049
Living independently 65,447 6,452 553 38,390 20,052
Living in the household of another 4,883 317 83 3,630 853
Living independently with an ineligible spouse 6,225 886 57 5,278 4
Living in the household of another with an ineligible spouse 73 16 0 57 0
Private nonmedical group home or natural residential setting 20,846 1,858 302 16,546 2,140
SOURCE: State information.

State Assistance for Special Needs

Administration

State Department of Health and Family Services, Division of Disability and Elder Services.

Special Needs Circumstances

State administers special needs supplementary payments to cover care in nonmedical facilities and natural residential settings. Recipients with dependent children are eligible for a higher level of supplementation.

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 does not obtain this information.