0805.015.10 INCOME EXCLUSIONS

Exclude, as income, any of the following:

1. Department of Mental Health Funds (DH).
2. Compensation received under the Federal Older Americans Volunteer Program (OA) - Section 611 of Title VI of Public Law 93-29 dated May 3, 1973, (also called the “Foster Grandparent” and Older Americans Community Service Program) excludes any income received under this program by the individual volunteers, age 60 or over, from being considered on the budget.
3. Any payments for supportive services or reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses made to individual volunteers, grandparents, senior health aides, or senior companions, and to persons serving in the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) and Active Corps of Executives (ACE) and any other programs under Title II and III of the Domestic Volunteer Services Act of 1973 (Public Law 93-113).
4. Vocational Rehabilitation Payments(VR/VF) - Payments made for maintenance, transportation, tuition, fees, etc., in connection with a claimant participating in training or school attendance subsidized by the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.
5. Loans or grants to an undergraduate student(NA, N4) for educational purposes made or insured under any program administered by the Commissioner of Education. This includes the Basic Educational Opportunity Grants Program (BEOG), Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG), National Direct Student Loans (NDSL) and Guaranteed Student Loans and PELL grants.
6. Veterans Education Assistance (VE/VC) - Exclude as income that portion of a Veterans Educational Assistance payment that is for the “student” and that is actually used for items such as tuition, books, fees, equipment, transportation for school purposes, child care services necessary for school attendance, etc.
7. Low-Income Home Energy Assistance(EA) payments made under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981, are not considered as income.
8. Certain Home Energy Assistance payments made on or after October 1, 1983, by energy suppliers or private nonprofit organizations are excluded. “Home energy assistance” is defined as any assistance that is related to home energy, except food or clothing.

   Exclude the payment as income if is made in cash or in-kind by:

   • a supplier of home heating gas or oil; or
   • a municipal utility providing home energy; or
   • an entity whose revenues are primarily derived on a rate-of-return basis regulated by a State of Federal governmental body;

   If the payment is made in-kind by a private nonprofit organization, exclude the payment as income. Consider cash payments made by private nonprofit organizations as income.

9. Agent Orange Settlement Payments (AV)
10. Missouri Family Trust Fund (PM) - Exclude payments from the Missouri Family Trust Fund made on behalf of a beneficiary who is an applicant/recipient of MA.
11. Temporary Assistance cash grant (C1-C6)
12. Blind Pension cash grant (B1)
13. Bona Fide Loans (BF) - refer to Section 0205.005.30.40 of the Temporary Assistance manual.
14. Ricky Ray Hemophilia Fund (RI) - refer to Section 0905.012.75.12 of the Family Healthcare manual.
15. PASS Account: Money SSI recipients set aside under an approved plan for achieving self-support (PASS)(PA). SSA must approve the written plan.
16. The allowance provided to children of Vietnam veterans (including adult children) who were born with the congenital defect spina bifida (SP).
17. Any income earned by individuals eligible for certified extended employment at a sheltered workshop. This includes income earned from employment at a sheltered workshop and from other employers (SW).
18. Supportive service payments, stipends (a payment received while participating in a training program), and needs related payments from WIA program(s) (J7).
19. WIA work experience payments (J2).
20. Any portion of a veteran’s pension (VA)designated for Aid and Attendance. In FAMIS enter the full amount of the VA Pension including the Aid and Attendance Pension, as “UI – Unearned Income”, source “VA – Veterans Administration” and enter the Aid and Attendance portion of the pension as income expense code “AA – VA Aid and Attendance Expenses”. 
21. Any benefits designated for a veteran’s dependent. In FAMIS enter the full amount of the VA Pension including the portion designated for the veteran’s dependent , as “UI – Unearned Income”, source “VA – Veterans Administration” and enter the portion of the pension designated for the veteran’s dependent as income expense code “DX– VA Dependent Expenses”.
22. Any portion of a veteran’s pension (VA) paid for unusual medical expenses. In FAMIS enter the full amount of the VA Pension including the portion of the pension designated for unusual medical expenses, as “UI – Unearned Income”, source “VA – Veterans Administration” and enter the portion of the pension designated for unusual medical expenses as income expense code “ME – VA Unusual Medical Expenses”. 
23. VA homebound allowances. In FAMIS enter the full amount of the VA Pension (VA) including the homebound allowance, as “UI – Unearned Income”, source “VA – Veterans Administration” and enter the homebound allowance portion of the pension as income expense code “HB – VA Home Bound Expenses”.
24. Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) account. Contributions to and interest, dividends, or other distributed earnings in an ABLE account. Also exclude from income payments made from an ABLE account for qualified disability expenses.

0805.015.10.05 Social Security Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) Disregard

Senate Bill 577 (2007) amended Section 208.153 RSMo to specify that programs in which income eligibility is determined by Federal Poverty Level (FPL) will not be adjusted for annual Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) changes in OASDI or SSI benefits until the next FPL adjustment.

FAMIS disregards the COLA amount entered for January's income for the MO HealthNet for Aged, Blind and Disabled (MHABD) Spend down and Non Spend Down Programs until the next FPL adjustment for April. SSA and SSI incomes for individuals in any FAMIS EU entered after the adjustment must include the pre-COLA adjusted amount for December and the COLA-adjusted amount for January with a verification code of CO (COLA).

Example 1: Applications Made After COLA Mass Adjustment (December)

On February 8, Ms. Foster applies for Food Stamps and MO HealthNet for Aged Blind and Disabled benefits. Ms. Foster has been receiving Social Security Disability Income (SSDI/SSA) for five years. Enter Ms. Foster's pre-COLA adjusted SSA income for the month of December with the appropriate verification code of HC or TC. Enter her COLA-adjusted SSA income for the budget month of January and ongoing with verification code of CO. The Food Stamp EU eligibility determination budgets the current (COLA-adjusted) SSA amounts; the MHABD eligibility determination budgets the pre-COLA adjusted SSA amount.

Example 2: Active EUs with Participants that Begin Receiving SSA/SSI Between COLA and FPL Mass Adjustments

The Jackson family is active in FAMIS, receiving MHABD and Food Stamp benefits. Mrs. Jackson reports that daughter, Jessie, begins receiving SSI February 1. Enter   Jessie's new SSI income for the month of February with a verification code of HC or TC. Continue to budget Mrs. Jackson's pre-COLA SSA income that she was receiving based on disability using a verification code of CO; do not change the verification code from CO to HC or TC.

Example 3: Exploring Prior Quarter for MHABD Applications Taken After the FPL Adjustments

On March 15, Ms. Ola applies for MO HealthNet for Aged, Blind, and Disabled (MHABD). She requests prior quarter coverage for her emergency room visit. Ms. Ola has been receiving SSDI for several years. Enter her pre-COLA SSDI received for December with the appropriate verification code of HC or TC and the COLA-adjusted income for the months of January-March with a verification code of CO.

NOTE: FAMIS does not disregard the COLA amount entered for January's income for Blind Pension (BP), Vendor (VEND), Missouri Children with Developmental Disabilities (MOCDD), Home and Community Based (HCB) Waiver Services, Supplemental Aid to the Blind(SAB), and Supplemental Nursing Care (SNC) programs.