One of the biggest concerns SSI beneficiaries have about going to work is the possibility of losing Medicaid coverage. Section 1619(b) of the Social Security Act provides some protection for these beneficiaries. To qualify for continuing Medicaid coverage, a person must:

Have been eligible for an SSI cash payment for at least 1 month;
Still meet the disability requirement; and
Still meet all other non-disability SSI requirements; and
Need Medicaid benefits to continue to work; and
Have gross earnings that are insufficient to replace SSI, Medicaid and publicly funded attendant care services.

This means that SSI beneficiaries who have earnings too high for a SSI cash payment may be eligible for Medicaid if they meet the above requirements. SSA uses a threshold amount to measure whether a person’s earnings are high enough to replace his/her SSI and Medicaid benefits. This threshold is based on the:

amount of earnings which would cause SSI cash payments to stop in the person’s State; and
average Medicaid expenses in that State.

If a SSI beneficiary has gross earnings higher than the threshold amount for his/her State, SSA can figure an individual threshold amount if that person has:

Impairment-related work expenses; or
Blind work expenses; or
A plan to achieve self-support; or
Personal attendant whose fees are publicly funded; or
Medical expenses above the average State amount.

We’ve shown the 2011 and 2010 threshold amounts for each State below for disabled and blind beneficiaries. (Please note that five states have separate threshold amounts for blind beneficiaries.) We usually update these amounts annually for the prior calendar year. These amounts continue in effect until replaced with the next year’s amounts when they become available.

2012 1619(b) THRESHOLD AMOUNTS FOR DISABLED SSI BENEFICIARIES

State	Threshold
ALABAMA	25,253
ALASKA	54,352
ARIZONA	36,921
ARKANSAS	29,587
CALIFORNIA	36,423
COLORADO	33,982
CONNECTICUT	68,132
DELAWARE	39,015
D.C.	44,857
FLORIDA	30,259
GEORGIA	28,347
HAWAII	35,149
IDAHO	39,775
ILLINOIS	27,435
INDIANA	35,280
IOWA	31,066
KANSAS	35,225
KENTUCKY	28,086
LOUISIANA	30,157
MAINE	33,919
MARYLAND	39,926
MASSACHUSETTS	37,685
MICHIGAN	29,919
MINNESOTA	50,846
MISSISSIPPI	26,889
MISSOURI	33,175
MONTANA	29,752
NEBRASKA	36,651
NEVADA	30,346
NEW HAMPSHIRE	42,320
NEW JERSEY	33,751
NEW MEXICO	33,098
NEW YORK	46,318
NORTH CAROLINA	34,318
NORTH DAKOTA	38,564
OHIO	34,339
OKLAHOMA	27,521
OREGON	32,440
PENNSYLVANIA	30,953
RHODE ISLAND	35,894
SOUTH CAROLINA	30,018
SOUTH DAKOTA	34,014
TENNESSEE	31,464
TEXAS	31,174
UTAH	29,889
VERMONT	37,403
VIRGINIA	34,272
WASHINGTON	28,802
WEST VIRGINIA	28,892
WISCONSIN	32,044
WYOMING	35,896
NO.MARIANA ISL.	17,772

2012 1619(b) THRESHOLD AMOUNTS FOR BLIND SSI BENEFICIARIES

STATE	THRESHOLD
CALIFORNIA	37,743
IOWA	31,594
MASSACHUSETTS	38,187
NEVADA	32,969

2011 1619(b) THRESHOLD AMOUNTS FOR DISABLED SSI BENEFICIARIES

State	Threshold ($)
ALABAMA	24,438
ALASKA	51,525
ARIZONA	30,870
ARKANSAS	28,730
CALIFORNIA	35,023
COLORADO	31,990
CONNECTICUT	56,502
DELAWARE	38,668
D.C.	43,037
FLORIDA	28,753
GEORGIA	27,509
HAWAII	36,977
IDAHO	38,495
ILLINOIS	26,141
INDIANA	34,713
IOWA	30,811
KANSAS	34,071
KENTUCKY	27,345
LOUISIANA	29,763
MAINE	32,403
MARYLAND	38,660
MASSACHUSETTS	36,391
MICHIGAN	29,036
MINNESOTA	49,550
MISSISSIPPI	25,923
MISSOURI	31,180
MONTANA	29,429
NEBRASKA	36,295
NEVADA	30,135
NEW HAMPSHIRE	40,720
NEW JERSEY	33,487
NEW MEXICO	36,421
NEW YORK	45,454
NORTH CAROLINA	33,568
NORTH DAKOTA	38,049
OHIO	34,013
OKLAHOMA	26,480
OREGON	31,462
PENNSYLVANIA	29,410
RHODE ISLAND	36,324
SOUTH CAROLINA	28,141
SOUTH DAKOTA	32,991
TENNESSEE	26,645
TEXAS	29,329
UTAH	29,176
VERMONT	35,554
VIRGINIA	32,545
WASHINGTON	28,160
WEST VIRGINIA	28,283
WISCONSIN	31,468
WYOMING	33,855
NO.MARIANA ISL.	17,196

2011 1619(b) THRESHOLD AMOUNTS FOR BLIND SSI BENEFICIARIES

STATE	THRESHOLD ($)
CALIFORNIA	35,716
IOWA	31,339
MASSACHUSETTS	37,240
NEVADA	32,759
OREGON	31,462

2010 1619(b) THRESHOLD AMOUNTS FOR DISABLED SSI BENEFICIARIES

STATE	THRESHOLD ($)
ALABAMA	23,981
ALASKA	50,054
ARIZONA	26,638
ARKANSAS	28,221
CALIFORNIA	34,324
COLORADO	31,212
CONNECTICUT	54,815
DELAWARE	37,538
D.C.	42,071
FLORIDA	28,427
GEORGIA	27,295
HAWAII	34,056
IDAHO	38,097
ILLINOIS	26,298
INDIANA	32,930
IOWA	30,477
KANSAS	33,540
KENTUCKY	26,528
LOUISIANA	29,305
MAINE	43,107
MARYLAND	38,328
MASSACHUSETTS	36,133
MICHIGAN	27,858
MINNESSOTA	49,245
MISSISSIPPI	25,907
MISSOURI	30,571
MONTANA	28,819
NEBRASKA	35,984
NEVADA	31,871
NEW HAMPSHIRE	40,383
NEW JERSEY	34,292
NEW MEXICO	34,401
NEW YORK	43,956
NORTH CAROLINA	34,457
NORTH DAKOTA	36,082
OHIO	32,004
OKLAHOMA	26,422
OREGON	30,367
PENNSYLVANIA	29,349
RHODE ISLAND	37,828
SOUTH CAROLINA	27,804
SOUTH DAKOTA	31,924
TENNESSEE	25,484
TEXAS	28,730
UTAH	28,381
VERMONT	35,441
VIRGINIA	30,600
WASHINGTON	28,470
WEST VIRGINIA	27,206
WISCONSIN	32,284
WYOMING	32,585
NO.MARIANA ISL.	17,196

2010 1619(b) THRESHOLD AMOUNTS FOR BLIND SSI BENEFICIARIES

State	Threshold ($)
CALIFORNIA	37,252
IOWA	31,005
MASSACHUSETTS	36,982
NEVADA	33,620
OREGON	30,967

Top of Page


	Privacy Policy \| Website Policies & Other Important Information \| Site Map Last reviewed or modified Thursday May 17, 2012	Need Larger Text?