Last updated September 19, 2024
When to use:
Caller brings up their finances, expresses concerns about their ability to pay for something, or has direct questions about financial assistance. Use of these programs can help free up money to pay for health care and prescription drug costs.
Important:
2024-2025 income and asset guidelines have been updated as of July 1, 2024.
Financial assistance:
MinnesotaHelp.info:
- Features: Title III and sliding fee scale services and free/no cost to everyone and free/no cost to eligible clients
- Community Action Partnership (CAP) agencies
| Category | Taxonomy Code |
| Energy Assistance |
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| Free or low-cost meals |
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| Free or lost cars |
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| Help paying basic needs |
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| Home repair |
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| Lifeline Cell Phones (telephone discount program) |
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| Weatherization Assistance Programs |
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Housing:
- Minnesota Housing is a resource for affording housing.
- Housing Support (formerly known as Group Residential Housing) pays for room and board for older adults and adults with disabilities who have low income. The program aims to reduce and prevent people from living in institutions or becoming homeless.
- MSA Housing Assistance provides help for housing costs for some people with disabilities under age 65.
- HB101 offers a list of programs that can make housing more affordable and more housing resources; it offers vacancy tracking for some supportive housing options, including assisted living facilities that accept Housing Support.
- Housing Link - connecting people to affordable rental homes, increasing choice and access for all affordable housing information clearinghouse.
Cash assistance:
- General Assistance (GA) helps people without children pay for basic needs. It provides money to people who can't work enough to support themselves, whose income and resources are very low.
- Emergency Assistance- Families with low incomes experiencing household emergencies may qualify for this cash-grant program.
- Minnesota Supplemental Aid (MSA) is a state-funded program that provides cash assistance to adults who are aged, blind, or disabled and who receive or are eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program provides monthly payments to people age 65 and older without disabilities who meet the financial qualifications and to adults and children with a disability or blindness who have income and resources below specific financial limits.
Telephone discounts:
Telephone discounts offer monthly service discounts on landline telephone, cell phone, or broadband internet services.
Energy assistance:
- The Energy Assistance Program pays up to $2,000 towards heat, power and water costs, and is free for all eligible households.
- Weatherization Assistance Program provides free home energy upgrades to income-eligible homeowners and renters to help save energy and make sure their home is a healthy and safe place to live.
- Affordability programs offer assistance for certain individuals regarding electricity and natural gas.
Food assistance:
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps stretch the household food budget.
- Minnesota Food Assistance Program (MFAP) provides food assistance to noncitizens age 50 and older who do not qualify for SNAP because of their citizenship status.
- Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CFSP) is a United States Department of Agriculture supplemental food and nutrition program that is designed to provide healthy and nutritious food each month at no cost to eligible individuals.
Tree assistance:
Flooding and storm damage disaster relief for certain counties:
- FEMA - Federal Assistance: Minnesota homeowners and renters in Blue Earth, Cook, Cottonwood, Faribault, Freeborn, Goodhue, Itasca, Jackson, Lake, Le Sueur, Mower, Nicollet, Nobles, Rice, Rock, St. Louis, Steele, Waseca, and Watonwan counties affected by the severe storms and flooding of June 16 – July 4, 2024, may now call or go online to apply for disaster assistance from FEMA.
Tax deferral:
- Property Tax Deferral for Senior Citizens | Minnesota Department of Revenue - may allow a person to defer a portion of the property taxes they owe.
Property tax refund:
Limited-income Subsidy (LIS) / Extra Help for Medicare Part D:
LIS/Extra Help for 2024:
Beginning January 1, 2024, Full Extra Help will be expanded to people with incomes up to 150% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and Partial Extra Help will be eliminated. People who are currently on Partial Extra Help will now be eligible for a full subsidy. People with incomes at or below 100% of the FPL will continue to pay lower co-pays.
Minnesota Health Care Programs (Medical Assistance and Medicare Savings Programs) and the Social Security Administration (Low Income Subsidy Extra Help) only count 50% of earned income after an initial disregard of $65. Also important to note, SSA disregards the first $20 of all types of income.
| LIS/Extra Help for Part D application | |
Full Extra Help |
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Medical Assistance (MA):
Minnesota Health Care Programs (Medical Assistance and Medicare Savings Programs) and the Social Security Administration (Low Income Subsidy Extra Help) only count 50% of earned income after an initial disregard of $65. Also important to note, SSA disregards the first $20 of all types of income.
Application:
DHS 3876 (household application)
Medical Assistance (MA):
| Monthly Income (1) Single (2) Couple | Assets | More information | |
| Medical Assistance (MA): Application: DHS 3876 | |||
| $1,255(1) $1,704 (2) 100% FPL | $3,000 (1) $6,000 (2) | MA will pay for most current and future medical bills. In some cases, MA will also pay medical bills for the three months before the application. | |
MA pays for:
MA estate recovery and liens: Federal and state laws require DHS and lead agencies to recover costs that the MA program pays for its members under certain circumstances through estate recovery and liens. Refer people to private attorneys and legal aid attorneys to answer their questions about estate planning. | |||
MA with a spenddown:
| Monthly Income (1) Single (2) Couple | Assets | More information | |
| MA with a Spenddown | |||
Income limits: Medical expenses spenddown income to $1,255 (1) $1,704 (2) | $3,000 (1) $6,000 (2) | If the income is more than the allowed income limit, the person may still qualify for health care coverage by spending down on medical bills. | |
Medical Assistance for Employed Persons with Disabilities (MA-EPD):
County - Full MA benefits with a minimum monthly premium of $35. If consumer does not qualify for a Medicare Savings Program and gross income is ≤ 200% of FPL, the Medicare Part B premium is reimbursed by county. (2023 poverty guidelines will apply until 7/1/24 - 200% of FPG for (1) is $2430 and (2) is $3287.)
| Monthly Income (1) Single (2) Couple | Assets | More information | |
| Medical Assistance for Employed Persons with Disabilities | |||
| More than $65 in gross income (net income if self-employed) with no income limit | The $20,000 asset limit was eliminated January 1, 2024. | Medical Assistance for Employed Persons with Disabilities (MA-EPD) allows working people with disabilities to qualify for MA using higher income and asset limits.
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Medicare Savings Programs (MSP):
When a person is enrolled in MA and wants to apply for an MSP, they should contact their county, tribal, or state servicing agency. An MA enrollee is not required to submit a new application when applying for an MSP; rather the servicing agency will request further information, including any necessary supplements, to make an MSP eligibility determination. Similarly, an MSP enrollee is not required to submit a new application when applying for MA.
Minnesota Health Care Programs (Medical Assistance and Medicare Savings Programs) and the Social Security Administration (Low Income Subsidy Extra Help) only count 50% of earned income after an initial disregard of $65. Also important to note, SSA disregards the first $20 of all types of income.
Revised DHS Applications:
DHS has revised three applications related to Minnesota health care programs.
The MHCP Application for Certain Populations (DHS-3876) is used when everyone in the household who wants to apply for health care coverage, meets at least one of these criteria:
• Is 65 years old or older;
• Is blind or has a disability;
• Is only requesting help with Medicare costs;
• Is 21 years old or older, lives with no children under age 19, and has Medicare coverage;
• Receives Supplemental Security Income (SSI); or
• Is applying for Medical Assistance for Employed Persons with Disabilities (MA-EPD).
Minnesota Health Care Programs Renewal (DHS-3418) is used to renew enrollee eligibility annually for these programs:
• Medical Assistance (MA) for people who are blind, have a disability, or are 65 years old or older;
• MA for a person who is 21 years old or older, lives with no children under age 19, and has Medicare coverage;
• MA with a spenddown; or
• Medicare Savings Programs.
Supplement to MNsure Application for Health Coverage and Help Paying Costs (DHS-6696A) is used to collect more information needed to determine MA eligibility for people who are age 65 or older, who are blind or who have a disability.
Effective immediately, use the revised forms and destroy all previous versions.
Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB):
| Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) | ||
| $1,275 (1) $1,724 (2) | $10,000 (1) $18,000 (2) | Covers all Medicare Part A & Part B deductibles, coinsurance, copays and premiums; automatically qualifies for full LIS; can change Part D plans quarterly. |
Specified Limited Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB):
| Specified Limited Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB) | ||
| $1,526 (1) $2,064 (2) | $10,000 (1) $18,000 (2) | Pays the Medicare Part B premium; automatically qualifies for full LIS; can change Part D plans quarterly. *They can have a spenddown. Refer questions to the county. |
Qualified Individual (QI):
| Qualified Individual (QI) | ||
| $1,715 (1) $2,321 (2) | $10,000 (1) $18,000 (2) | Pays the Medicare Part B premium; automatically qualified for full LIS; can change Part D plans quarterly. |
| Standard Part B premium for enrollees of MSP (QMB, SLMB, & QI) is $164.90 for 2023: Hold harmless does not protect MSP enrollees, however; the premium will still be paid in full by the MSP, as long as the beneficiary remains enrolled. Beneficiaries who are protected by the hold harmless provision will have a Part B premium based on their Social Security income amount for 2023. There is a $65 earned income disregard for QMB, SLMB and QI when determining eligibility. | ||
Qualified Working Disabled Individuals (QWDI):
| Qualified Working Disabled Individuals (QWDI) | ||
| $2,530 (1) $3,427 (2) | $4,000 (1) $6,000 (2) | Pays the Medicare Part A premium up to $506/month |
Waivers:
DHS 3531 (individual application - one application per person)
For married couples, spousal impoverishment rules apply and an asset assessment is required, except ECS.
Elderly Waiver (EW):
| Monthly Income (1) Single (2) Couple | Assets | More information | |
| Elderly Waiver (EW) Application: DHS Form 3531 and MnCHOICES | |||
| Refer to financial worker | $3,000 (1), $6,000 (2) | EW provides home and community-based services for people who are eligible for MA and need nursing facility level of care, but who choose to live in the community. DHS 5357. | |
Alternative Care (AC):
| Alternative Care (AC) | |||
| Total of income and assets is at or below $48,398, which is current projected cost of care for 135 days in a SNF, plus MA assets | AC provides home-and community-based services to people who do not qualify for MA and need nursing facility level of care, but choose to live in the community. DHS-4720 Monthly fee: Sliding fee is assessed for 0% - 30% of service plan including case management. It is based on income and assets. | ||
Essential Community Supports (ECS):
| Monthly Income (1) Single (2) Couple | Assets | More information | |
| Essential Community Supports (ECS) | |||
| Total of income and assets is at or below $48,398, which is current projected cost of care for 135 days in a SNF + MA asset limit | ECS provides home-and community-based services to people who do not qualify for MA and do not need nursing facility level of care, but need services to live in the community and meet certain eligibility rules. DHS 6546 A person cannot be on ECS while applying for MA, until he/she has been denied MA. | ||
Under age 65 waivers:
| Under age 65 Waivers | |
Must be eligible for MA. | People who receive CADI, CAC or BI waiver services may choose to either remain on their current waiver or begin EW services when they turn 65 years of age. |
MN MA Skilled Nursing Facility and Intermediate Care Facility (ICF) for Developmentally Disabled (DD):
| MN MA SNF and ICF/DD | Monthly Personal Needs Allowance amount: $125.00 |
| Standards and guidelines |
Community spouse allowance figures:
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