State Assistance Programs for SSI Recipients, January 2007

Minnesota

State Supplementation

Mandatory Minimum Supplementation

No recipients.

Optional State Supplementation

Administration: Local county offices of the state Welfare and Human Services Agencies (state-supervised). Payments are made under the Minnesota Supplemental Aid Program and the Group Residential Housing Program.

Effective date: April 1, 1974.

Statutory basis for payment: Minnesota Statutes Annotated, sections 256D.33-256D.54 and 256I.01-256I.06.

Funding

Administration: County funds; except state expenses, which are state-funded.

Assistance: State funds.

Passalong method: Maintaining payment levels.

Place of application: County Welfare and Human Services Agencies.

Scope of coverage: Optional state supplement provided to SSI recipients, including blind children under the age of 18 and disabled adult children, residing in the specified living arrangements.

Resource limitations: Federal SSI regulations apply.

Income exclusions: Federal SSI regulations apply.

Recoveries, liens, and assignments: None.

Financial responsibility of relatives: Spouse for spouse; parent or stepparent for blind minor child.

Interim assistance: State participates.

Payment calculation method: A standard applies that is established by the state for the total SSI payment. The federal SSI payment and any countable income are deducted from the state standard. The remainder is the state supplementation.

Payment levels: See Table 1.

Table 1. Optional state supplementation payment levels, January 2007 (in dollars)
Living arrangement Combined federal and state State supplementation
Individual Couple Individual Couple
Living independently
Entitlement before January 1, 1994 684.00 1,060.00 81.00 126.00
Entitlement January 1, 1994, or later 684.00 1,045.00 81.00 111.00
Living in the household of another
Entitlement before January 1, 1994 506.34 969.00 111.00 346.33
Entitlement January 1, 1994, or later 506.34 706.00 111.00 83.33
Nonmedical, group residential facility a 737.34 b 130.00 b
Medicaid facility 82.00 b 49.00 b
SOURCES: Social Security Administration, Office of Income Security Programs; state information.
NOTE: Minnesota Supplemental Aid Program excludes the first $20 of the SSI payment for recipients who live independently.
a. Includes $82 a month for clothing and personal needs and a $12 a month community living adjustment.
b. Couples are treated as two individuals starting with the month after leaving an independent living arrangement.
DEFINITIONS:
Living independently
Includes recipients who are solely responsible for paying costs connected with their home or apartment and persons who are eligible for Medicaid home- and community-based service waivers or are at risk of being placed in a group residential facility.
Living in the household of another
Includes recipients who live with another person, regardless of the relationship, in a house or an apartment.
Nonmedical, group residential facility
Includes recipients who reside in a congregate care setting and have their shelter payments negotiated by the county agency. Nonmedical facilities include foster care, boarding care, and room and board arrangements.
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 2007
Living arrangement Total Aged Blind Disabled
All recipients 39,972 11,778 262 27,932
Living independently 22,702 7,248 115 15,339
Living in the household of another 5,026 2,518 23 2,485
Nonmedical, group residential facility 8,609 1,584 68 6,957
Medicaid facility 3,635 428 56 3,151
SOURCE: State information.

State Assistance for Special Needs

Administration

Local county offices of the state Welfare and Human Services Agencies (state-supervised).

Special Needs Circumstances

Amounts of assistance for items not covered by the mandatory state standards are determined on the basis of need in each case.

Diets: Specified modified diets, when prescribed by a physician, are allowed at designated rate.

Guardianship fees: Five percent of gross monthly income (including SSI) up to a maximum of $100 per month.

Representative payee services: Ten percent of gross monthly income, up to a maximum of $25, for services provided by an agency that meets the requirements under SSI regulations to charge a fee for payee services.

Emergency aid: Available once a year for specified needs.

Housing and major repairs: Catastrophic situations for homeowners who live in their homes, rent deposits, and moving expenses.

Furniture and appliances: Necessary repairs and replacements.

Utility shutoffs.

Shelter needy provision: A supplemental payment, equal to the maximum Food Stamp allotment for an individual, is granted to participants in the Minnesota Supplemental Aid Program when relocating from an institution into the community if their shelter costs exceed 40 percent of their income. Recipients of the shelter needy special need must apply for subsidized housing.

Medicaid

Eligibility

Criteria: State guidelines.

Determined by: Local county offices of the state Welfare and Human Services Agencies (state-supervised).

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.