If you have a share of cost because of your earnings, or if you have been denied for Medi-Cal because you are working,
you may qualify under this program.If you also receive Medicare, enrolling in the Medi-Cal Working Disabled Program will automatically qualify you for the Medicare Part D Low Income Subsidy (plan-covered prescription drugs between $1 and $5).
If you are a person with a disability and you work full-time, part-time, or are self-employed, you may be able to receive Medi-Cal health coverage. The Medi-Cal Working Disabled Program allows you to earn up to $52,092 a year, or more, as an individual and still qualify for affordable Medi-Cal coverage.
Medi-Cal is California’s name for the federal
Medicaid Program. Medi-Cal provides health coverage (including medical, dental, vision and personal assistance services) for low-income families and persons with disabilities who lack sufficient health coverage.
Why is continuing health coverage important?
Health coverage ensures that you receive
on-going care, when you need it, by health
providers who know your medical history.
Health coverage provides preventive services
and allows you to receive care when you are
sick or injured.
As a single individual, for example, you can earn about $4,300 a month in gross wages in 2007 and qualify for Medi-Cal health coverage, because this program does not count about half your earnings.
For your total monthly gross earnings,
$85 will be subtracted, and then only half of what remains is considered as countable earned income when Medi-Cal decides you are eligible. You may also be able to subtract your work expenses that are related to your disability.
Enrollees in the Medi-Cal Working Disabled
Program pay a small monthly premium based on countable earned income.
Disability Income, such as Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), is not counted as income for this program.
For example:
• An individual whose gross income is
between $1,287 and $1,485 (approximately) pays a monthly premium of $25.
• A couple whose gross income is between $1,287 and $1,485 (approximately) pays a monthly premium of $40.
Using the Medi-Cal for the Working Disabled
Calculator at www.db101.org, you can
figure out the monthly premium amount you would pay.
You may be eligible to receive personal assistance through Medi-Cal’s In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program. Medi-Cal is unique compared to other health coverage in that it provides funding for personal assistance
services through the IHSS program.
To use personal assistance services at work, you must first qualify for the IHSS program at home. After being approved for IHSS, you can transfer some of the service hours from the home to the workplace.
California law allows individuals with disabilities to use IHSS service hours to obtain, retain, or return to work. A county social services worker can advise you on the IHSS program.
• You can have $2,000 as an individual, or $3,000 as a married couple, in personal property, including cash, stocks, and some other items.
• You can own one car and the home you live in.
• You can have Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), Individual Development Accounts (IDAs), retirement plans, and deferred compensation plans. These kinds of savings are exempt and not counted in this program.
• You can receive disability income from Social Security, state or private disability insurance, or Worker’s Compensation. Disability income is exempt and not counted in this program. However, your disability income may be impacted by the income you are earning from work. For more information on Social Security work incentives, visit www.db101.org.
If you have a share of cost because of your earnings, or if you have been denied for Medi-Cal because you are working, you may qualify under this program.
If you also receive Medicare, enrolling in the Medi-Cal Working Disabled Program will automatically qualify you for the Medicare Part D Low Income Subsidy (plan-covered prescription drugs between $1 and $5).
To qualify for the Medi-Cal Working Disabled Program you need to:
• Be a resident of the United States living in
California.
• Meet Social Security’s definition of a disability.
• Be employed full-time or part-time,
including self-employment, with countable earnings at, or below, 250 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. “Work” is undefined for the purposes of this program and there is no minimum work requirement in order to qualify; however, you must be able to prove you are working and earning income.
Contact your County Social Services Office if you think you may qualify for the Medi-Cal Working Disabled Program, or if you would like more information. Contact information for local programs can be found at the California Health Incentives Improvement Project
website www.chiip.org.
Knowledgeable benefits planners are available to assist you in determining how your salary will affect your government benefits. The
website www.db101.org offers current information on the Medi-Cal Working Disabled Program, other information for workers and job seekers with disabilities, a directory of local benefits planners, and benefits calculators which can help you determine how earning income may impact your cash benefits.
Request this information in alternate formats or languages (Spanish, Tagalog, Korean,
Vietnamese, Chinese, Russian or Cambodian) by calling (916) 654-8194.
800.695.0350 Voice
916.654.9820 TTY
This publication is fully-funded under a Medicaid Infrastructure Grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, grant number 11P-92399/9-03.
The CHIIP and its partners are equal opportunity employers/providers.
CHIIP publication No.1 (12/2007) English
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