State Assistance Programs for SSI Recipients, January 2008

Arizona

State Supplementation

Mandatory Minimum Supplementation

Administration: Aging Adult Administration and Family Assistance Administration.

Optional State Supplementation

Administration: Aging Adult Administration and Family Assistance Administration.

Effective date: May 9, 1974.

Statutory basis for payment: Arizona Revised Statutes 46:252.

Funding

Administration: State funds.

Assistance: State funds.

Passalong method: Maintaining payment levels.

Place of application: Area Agencies on Aging, Catholic Social Services, other designated contracting agencies, and local offices of state Department of Economic Security. County Health Department Long-Term Care Unit and city Human Resources Departments arrange home interviews (if needed) or refer to appropriate agencies.

Scope of coverage: Optional state supplement provided to all SSI recipients who require assistance with housekeeping. Children under age 18 are not eligible for optional 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: The state supplementation is added to the federal payment. Countable income is deducted first from the federal payment. Any income that remains to be counted after the federal payment has been reduced to zero is then deducted from the state supplementary payment.

Payment levels: See Table 1.

Table 1. Optional state supplementation payment levels, January 2008 (in dollars)
Living arrangement	Combined federal and state		State supplementation
Living arrangement	Individual	Couple	Individual	Couple
Requires housekeeping services ^a	707.00	1,026.00	70.00	70.00
SOURCES: Social Security Administration, Office of Income Security Programs; state information.
a. Services may be provided in lieu of cash grants. Services and cash benefits are the same for individuals and couples.
DEFINITION: Requires housekeeping services. A determination that the person is functionally impaired in sufficient degree as to require help with housekeeping, laundry, essential shopping, errands, and meal preparation.

Number of recipients: See Table 2.

Table 2. Number of persons receiving optional state supplementation, January 2008
Living arrangement	Total	Aged	Blind	Disabled
Requires housekeeping services	310	--	--	--
SOURCE: State information.
NOTE: -- = not available.

Total expenditures: The state reported expenditures of $243,110 for calendar year 2007 in state-administered payments to SSI recipients.

State Assistance for Special Needs

State does not provide assistance for special needs.

Medicaid

Medical assistance is provided through a Title XIX authorized demonstration program—the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS)—which is more limited in scope than Medicaid.

Eligibility

Criteria: SSI program guidelines (Title XVI).

Determined by: Social Security Administration.

Medically Needy Program

Arizona Department of Health Services provides funds for the medically needy.

Unpaid Medical Expenses

The Social Security Administration does not obtain this information.