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 2009 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.

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

2009 1619(b) THRESHOLD AMOUNTS FOR DISABLED SSI BENEFICIARIES

State	Threshold ($)
ALABAMA	24,293
ALASKA	53,808
ARIZONA	28,114
ARKANSAS	27,623
CALIFORNIA	34,788
COLORADO	30,201
CONNECTICUT	53,537
DELAWARE	34,945
D.C.	40,459
FLORIDA	28,075
GEORGIA	26,816
HAWAII	32,927
IDAHO	36,226
ILLINOIS	26,852
INDIANA	32,615
IOWA	29,680
KANSAS	34,133
KENTUCKY	26,190
LOUISIANA	27,654
MAINE	42,287
MARYLAND	37,517
MASSACHUSETTS	37,757
MICHIGAN	27,653
MINNESSOTA	46,694
MISSISSIPPI	25,634
MISSOURI	30,877
MONTANA	28,682
NEBRASKA	35,430
NEVADA	32,448
NEW HAMPSHIRE	39,882
NEW JERSEY	34,284
NEW MEXICO	33,533
NEW YORK	43,421
NORTH CAROLINA	33,226
NORTH DAKOTA	38,040
OHIO	33,194
OKLAHOMA	26,031
OREGON	29,050
PENNSYLVANIA	28,699
RHODE ISLAND	36,604
SOUTH CAROLINA	26,267
SOUTH DAKOTA	30,806
TENNESSEE	25,146
TEXAS	29,152
UTAH	28,860
VERMONT	37,006
VIRGINIA	30,478
WASHINGTON	28,080
WEST VIRGINIA	26,980
WISCONSIN	32,156
WYOMING	30,492
NO.MARIANA ISL.	17,196

2009 1619(b) THRESHOLD AMOUNTS FOR BLIND SSI BENEFICIARIES

State	Threshold ($)
CALIFORNIA	36,348
IOWA	30,208
MASSACHUSETTS	38,260
NEVADA	35,071
OREGON	29,650

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