State Assistance Programs for SSI Recipients, January 2008

Maryland

State Supplementation

Mandatory Minimum Supplementation

Administration: Social Security Administration.

Optional State Supplementation

Administration: State Department of Human Resources, Family Investment Administration and, in some instances, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Mental Hygiene Administration.

Effective date: July 1, 1974.

Statutory basis for payment: Annotated Code of Maryland, article 88A, section 3(a), 5, effective January 1, 1974, and Code of Maryland Annotated Regulations 07.03.07.

Funding

Administration: State funds.

Assistance: State funds.

Passalong method: Maintaining payment levels.

Place of application: Local offices of the county social services agencies.

Scope of coverage: Optional state supplement provided to all aged, blind, and disabled individuals living in a care home or in an assisted living facility and who are eligible for payments under the SSI program or who would be eligible except for income. Children are not eligible for optional supplementation.

Resource limitations: Federal SSI regulations apply.

Income exclusions: Excludes $20 of any unearned income, including SSI.

Recoveries, liens, and assignments: None.

Financial responsibility of relatives: Spouse for spouse.

Interim assistance: State participates.

Payment calculation method: The state supplementation is added to the federal payment. Countable income is deducted first from the federal payment. Any income that remains to be counted after the federal payment has been reduced to zero is then deducted from the state supplementary payment.

Payment levels: See Table 1.

Table 1. Optional state supplementation payment levels, January 2008 (in dollars)
Living arrangement Combined federal and state State supplementation
Individual Couple Individual Couple
Care home
Minimal supervision 703.00 a 66.00 a
Moderate supervision b 812.00 a 175.00 a
Extensive supervision b 1,100.00 a 463.00 a
Specialized and intensive supervision b 1,303.00 a 666.00 a
Assisted living facility b 821.00 a 184.00 a
Rehabilitative residence 821.00 a 184.00 a
SOURCES: Social Security Administration, Office of Income Security Programs; state information.
a. The state supplementation rate for individuals applies to each member of a couple.
b. Includes an $82 personal needs allowance.
DEFINITIONS:
Care home with minimal supervision.
Includes individuals who are certified by one of the administering state agencies as requiring minimal supervision in an approved care home.
Care home with moderate supervision.
Includes individuals who are certified by one of the administering state agencies as requiring moderate supervision in an approved care home.
Care home with extensive supervision.
Includes individuals who are certified by one of the administering state agencies as requiring extensive supervision in an approved care home.
Care home with specialized and intensive supervision.
Includes individuals who are certified by one of the administering state agencies as requiring specialized and intensive services in an approved care home.
Assisted living facility.
Includes individuals certified by the Maryland Department of Human Resources as requiring care in an approved domiciliary care facility.
Rehabilitative residence.
Definition is not available.

Number of recipients: See Table 2.

Table 2. Number of persons receiving optional state supplementation, January 2008
Living arrangement Total Aged Blind Disabled
All recipients 3,124 -- -- --
Care home 248 -- -- --
Minimal supervision -- -- -- --
Moderate supervision -- -- -- --
Extensive supervision -- -- -- --
Specialized and intensive supervision -- -- -- --
Assisted living facility 441 -- -- --
Rehabilitative residence 2,435 -- -- --
SOURCE: State information.
NOTE: -- = not available.

Total expenditures: The state reported expenditures of $566,050 for calendar year 2007 in state-administered payments to SSI recipients.

State Assistance for Special Needs

State does not provide assistance for special needs.

Medicaid

Eligibility

Criteria: SSI program guidelines (Title XVI).

Determined by: Social Security Administration.

Medically Needy Program

State provides a program for the aged, blind, and disabled medically needy.

Unpaid Medical Expenses

The Social Security Administration obtains this information.