[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 42, Volume 3]
[Revised as of October 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 42CFR435.121]

[Page 115-117]
 
                         TITLE 42--PUBLIC HEALTH
 
  CHAPTER IV--CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF 
                 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES--(Continued)
 
PART 435--ELIGIBILITY IN THE STATES, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS, AND AMERICAN SAMOA--Table of Contents
 
        Subpart B--Mandatory Coverage of the Categorically Needy
 
Sec. 435.121  Individuals in States using more restrictive requirements for Medicaid than the SSI requirements.

    (a) Basic eligibility group requirements. (1) If the agency does not 
provide Medicaid under Sec. 435.120 to aged, blind, and disabled 
individuals who are SSI recipients, the agency must provide Medicaid to 
aged, blind, and disabled individuals who meet eligibility requirements 
that are specified in this section.
    (2) Except to the extent provided in paragraph (a)(3) of this 
section, the agency may elect to apply more restrictive eligibility 
requirements to the aged, blind, and disabled that are more restrictive 
than those of the SSI program. The more restrictive requirements may be 
no more restrictive than those requirements contained in the State's 
Medicaid plan in effect on January 1, 1972. If any of the State's 1972 
Medicaid plan requirements were more liberal than of the SSI program, 
the State must use the SSI requirement instead of the more liberal 
requirements, except to the extent the State elects to use more liberal 
criteria under Sec. 435.601.
    (3) The agency must not apply a more restrictive requirement under 
the provisions of paragraph (a)(2) of this section if:
    (i) The requirement conflicts with the requirements of section 1924 
of the Act, which governs the eligibility and post-eligibility treatment 
of income and resources of institutionalized individuals with community 
spouses;
    (ii) The requirement conflicts with a more liberal requirement which 
the agency has elected to use under Sec. 435.601; or
    (iii) The more restrictive requirement conflicts with a more liberal 
requirement the State has elected to use under Sec. 435.234(c) in 
determining eligibility for State supplementary payments.
    (b) Mandatory coverage. If the agency chooses to apply more 
restrictive requirements than SSI to aged, blind, or disabled 
individuals, it must provide Medicaid to:
    (1) Individuals who meet the requirements of section 1619(b)(3) of 
the Act even though they may not continue to meet the requirements of 
this section; and
    (2) Qualified Medicare beneficiaries described in section 1905(p) of 
the Act and qualified working disabled individuals described in section 
1905(s) of the Act without consideration of the more restrictive 
eligibility requirements specified in this section.
    (3) Individuals who:
    (i) Qualify for benefits under section 1619(a) or are in eligibility 
status under

[[Page 116]]

section 1619(b)(1) of the Act as determined by SSA; and
    (ii) Were eligible for Medicaid under the more restrictive criteria 
in the State's approved Medicaid plan in the reference month--the month 
immediately preceding the first month in which they became eligible 
under section 1619(a) or (b)(1) of the Act. ``Were eligible for 
Medicaid'' means that individuals were issued Medicaid cards by the 
State for the reference month. Under this provision, the reference month 
for determining Medicaid eligibility for all individuals under section 
1619 of the Act is the month immediately preceding the first month of 
the most recent period of eligibility under section 1619 of the Act.
    (c) Group composition. The agency may apply more restrictive 
requirements only to the aged, to the blind, to the disabled, or to any 
combination of these groups. For example, the agency may apply more 
restrictive requirements to the aged and disabled under this provision 
and provide Medicaid to all blind individuals who are SSI recipients.
    (d) Nonfinancial conditions. The agency may apply more restrictive 
requirements that are nonfinancial conditions of eligibility. For 
example, the agency may use a more restrictive definition of disability 
or may limit eligibility of the disabled to individuals age 18 and 
older, or both. If the agency limits eligibility of disabled individuals 
to individuals age 18 or older, it must provide Medicaid to individuals 
under age 18 who receive SSI benefits and who would be eligible to 
receive AFDC under the State's approved plan if they did not receive 
SSI. If the agency imposed an age limit for disabled individuals under 
its 1972 approved State plan but does not use that limit, it must apply 
the same nonfinancial requirement to individuals under age 18 that it 
applies to disabled individuals age 18 and older.
    (e) Financial conditions. (1) The agency may apply more restrictive 
requirements that are financial conditions of eligibility.
    (2) Any income eligibility standards that the agency applies must:
    (i) Equal the income standard (or Federal Benefit Rate (FBR)) that 
would be used under SSI based on an individual's living arrangement; or
    (ii) Be a more restrictive standard which is no more restrictive 
than that under the approved State's January 1, 1972 Medicaid plan.
    (3) If the categorically needy income standard established under 
paragraph (e)(2) of this section is less than the optional categorically 
needy standard established under Sec. 435.230, the agency must provide 
Medicaid to all aged, blind, and disabled individuals who have income 
equal to or below the higher standard.
    (4) In a State that does not have a medically needy program that 
covers aged, blind, and disabled individuals, the agency must allow 
individuals to deduct from income incurred medical and remedial expenses 
(that is, spend down) to become eligible under this section. However, 
individuals with income above the categorically needy standards may only 
spend down to the standard selected by the State under paragraph (e)(2) 
of this section which applies to the individual's living arrangement.
    (5) In a State that elects to provide medically needy coverage to 
aged, blind, and disabled individuals, the agency must allow individuals 
to deduct from income incurred medical and remedial care expenses (spend 
down) to become categorically needy when they are SSI recipients 
(including individuals deemed to be SSI recipients under Secs. 435.135, 
435.137, and 435.138), eligible spouses of SSI recipients, State 
supplement recipients, and individuals who are eligible for a supplement 
but who do not receive supplementary payments. Such persons may only 
spend down to the standard selected by the State under paragraph (e)(2) 
of this section. Individuals who are not SSI recipients, eligible 
spouses of SSI recipients, State supplement recipients, or individuals 
who are eligible for a supplement must spend down to the State's 
medically needy income standards for aged, blind, and disabled 
individuals in order to become Medicaid eligible.
    (f) Deductions from income. (1) In addition to any income disregards 
specified

[[Page 117]]

in the approved State plan in accordance with Sec. 435.601(b), the 
agency must deduct from income:
    (i) SSI payments;
    (ii) State supplementary payments that meet the conditions specified 
in Secs. 435.232 and 435.234; and
    (iii) Expenses incurred by the individual or financially responsible 
relatives for necessary medical and remedial services that are 
recognized under State law and are not subject to payment by a third 
party, unless the third party is a public program of a State or 
political subdivision of a State. These expenses include Medicare and 
other health insurance premiums, deductions and coinsurance charges, and 
copayments or deductibles imposed under Sec. 447.51 or Sec. 447.53 of 
this chapter. The agency may set reasonable limits on the amounts of 
incurred medical expenses that are deducted.
    (2) For purposes of counting income with respect to individuals who 
are receiving benefits under section 1619(a) f the Act or are in section 
1619(b)(1) of the Act status but who do not meet the requirements of 
paragraph (b)(3)(ii) of this section, the agency may disregard some or 
all of the amount of the individual's income that is in excess of the 
SSI Federal benefit rate under section 1611(b) of the Act.

[58 FR 4926, Jan. 19, 1993]