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Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services Obsolete Medicaid Eligibility Handbook For the current MEH, see http://www.emhandbooks.wi.gov/meh-ebd/ For the current BC Plus Handbook, see http://www.emhandbooks.wi.gov/bcplus/ |
Use gross income when calculating income.
Income Income is anything you receive in cash or in kind that you can use to meet your needs for food, clothing, and shelter. is available when:
It is actually available, and
The person has a legal interest in it, and
The person has the legal ability to make it available for support and maintenance.
Note: Available income can include more than a person actually receives if amounts are withheld from unearned income because of a garnishment, or to pay a debt or any other legal obligation.
Examples of income sources that someone can make available are social security and unemployment compensation. This includes income increases such as Cost-of-Living Adjustments ( COLAs ).
When it is known that a member of the assistance group is eligible for some sort of income or an increased amount of income:
Count the income if the amount is known. Count it as if the person is receiving it.
Ignore the income if the amount is not known.
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Example: Ms. M. is entitled to OASDI benefits of $450. However, she declined a $20 COLA Cost of Living Adjustment increase, and her check is only $430. Since the full entitlement amount is known, available income is $450. |
Income is unavailable when it will not be available for 31 days or more. The person must document that it will not be available for 31 days or more.
Unavailability is usually documented by a letter from an agency stating when the person will receive the benefit. Thus, if s/he has just applied for benefits, do not add it to his/her income yet. The income is not ignored; it is only suspended until it becomes available. Schedule an eligibility review for no later than the 60th day.
This page last updated in Release Number: 07-02
Release Date: 02-01-07
Effective Date: 02-01-07
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