Medicaid is a health insurance program for low-income individuals. This program is run jointly by the Federal Government along with your State Government. Each state has different rules regarding eligibility and applying for the program. If you live in the State of Florida one way to access Medicaid coverage is through applying for Social Security disability benefits. If you are approved for Supplemental Security Income or SSI, you will automatically qualify to receive Medicaid coverage.
To qualify for SSI, you must meet both financial requirements along with certain medical requirements. SSI looks at both your income and assets when determining if you meet the financial requirements. The asset limit for individuals is $2,000 while for a couple it is $3,000. Excluded from assets are one home and one vehicle. All other possessions will be counted towards your assets. The income limits for an individual are $733 and for a couple are $1,100 per month.
The medical requirements for Medicaid include meeting Social Security’s definition of disability. This means you must show you suffer from a severe physical and or mental impairment which precludes your ability to work for at least a 12 month period, or that your condition is terminal. To prove you suffer from a disability you must have medical documentation. This tends to be the area where most people struggle. You are applying for SSI so as to obtain health coverage through Medicaid but you cannot obtain Medicaid without having medical evidence to prove a disability. So what do you do? The best thing to do is to contact an experienced Social Security disability attorney to discuss your options. Someone who knows how to navigate the Social Security system will be able to best advise how to get you those benefits. One way may be to ask Social Security to send you for an evaluation. Another way may be to attend a free clinic in your area. Either way, reaching out to someone who knows the system will be your best chance to ultimately obtain Medicaid benefits. Call us at the LaBovick Law Group for a free case evaluation. We can help!
