The Medicaid Buy-in for Working People with Disabilities (MBI-WPD) is a special program for individuals with disabilities under age 65 who have work income. Under MBI-WPD, individuals are eligible for full Medicaid benefits at much higher incomes than individuals who are not working. This allows them to earn more income without the risk of losing health coverage.
The official State website on this program has basic information, including the current income and resource limits.
State directives include:
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NEW Oct. 2011 - 11ADM-07 - Medicaid Buy-In Program for Working People with Disabilities: Disregard Retirement Accounts in Determining Resource Eligibility and Increased Resource Standards (PDF, 79KB, 5pg.) -- Effective 10/1/2011, individual resource limit increased to $20,000 and couples to $30,000, and IRAs and other retirement funds excluded from resource limits even if not in distribution status.
- Attachment 1 (XLS, 61.5KB)(chart of income & resource limits for all Medicaid programs, eff. 10/1/2011)
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03 OMM/ADM-4 (June 4, 2003)
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04 OMM/ADM-5 (July 20, 2004),
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DOH General Information System policy, GIS 08 MA/004 (February 2, 2008).
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09MA015 - Medicaid Buy-In Program for Working People with Disabilities (MBI-WPD) Work Requirement: Documentation Change (local districts may no longer require that an individual document payment of applicable taxes in order to demonstrate work activity. (May 15, 2009)
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10ADM-02 - Medicaid Buy-In Program for Working People with Disabilities Medical Improvement Group (Mar. 3, 2010)(attachments available here(concerns continuing eligibility for people no longer eligible for disability under the "basic coverage" group because of medical improvement, but who still have a severe impairment)
This training brief reviews Medicaid disability budgeting and the budgeting rules for MBI-WPD (by The Legal Aid Society Health Law Unit)
Through the NY Makes Work Pay project -- www.nymakesworkpay.org --Neighborhood Legal Services in Buffalo, funded by a subgrant from Cornell University, has extensive resources to encourage enrollment in MBI-WPD, including:
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Online Guide to Medicaid Buy-In program http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/edi/mbi-wpd/
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Statewide Work Incentives Hotline (toll-free 1-888.224-3272). Answer any questions about the range of Social Security, SSI, Medicaid and Medicare work incentives, including questions on the MBI-WPD.
- Facilitated MBI-WPD enrollment. Hotline staff will spend extra time with individuals to help facilitate their enrollment in the Medicaid Buy-In for Working People with Disabilities Program. The client or advocate can call the toll-free number. In some cases, the hotline may refer the case to a participating agency in a region of the state.
- Policy-to-practice briefs on a range of topics, including the MBI-WPD. To get to these resources go the NY Makes Work Pay homepage, www.nymakesworkpay.org, and use the links at the bottom of the homepage for “Research and Publications.” When you get to the publications page, you will find links for the newsletters, the policy-to-practice briefs, and Self Help Guides.
Direct links to some key policy-to-practice briefs:
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Self Help Guides
- Medicaid & Work: Keeping Your Medicaid While You Work PDF (232 KB) | TEXT (9 KB)
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Earned Income Tax Credit: How to Use the Tax Credit to Build Assets PDF (271 KB) | TEXT (9 KB)
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Ticket to Work: Choosing the Right Employment Network PDF (440 KB) | TEXT (8 KB)
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M edicaid Buy-In for Working People with Disabilities: Frequently Asked Questions PDF (231 KB) | TEXT (9 KB)
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Plan for Achieving Self Support: How You Can Use PASS to Grow Your Assets PDF (275 KB) | TEXT (7 KB)
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Supplemental Security Income (SSI): Calculating the Impact of Earnings on Benefits Supplemental Security Income PDF (279 KB) | TEXT (13 KB)
This article was authored by the Empire Justice Center.
