[Narrator] Moving Ahead with Minnesota Benefits: A Griffin-Hammis Production.
[Person] I have a disability, and I'm just struggling to pay my bills.
Are there any programs that can help me? [Narrator] That's a great question. Minnesota
does have some public benefits. They help people with disabilities in three main ways. First,
they can help cover basic needs like food, rent, and healthcare. There are two types of public
benefits: cash benefits and healthcare benefits. [Person] Okay, so what are the cash benefits?
[Narrator] There are a number of them. Each helps different groups of people. General
Assistance and Minnesota Supplemental Aid are cash benefits for people with disabilities who
have low income. Housing Support is also for people with disabilities who have low income.
It pays for rent, utilities, and food. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,
which used to be called Food Stamps, is for any household with low income. It helps pay for food,
too. And lastly, the Minnesota Family Investment Program is a cash benefit
for families with low income who have kids under eighteen living in the households.
[Person] Wow, there are a lot of them. [Narrator] Yes, there are. There are also
several healthcare programs. Medical Assistance, called MA for short, helps pay medical expenses
for people with low income. Minnesota Care also helps pay medical expenses. It's for
people with low to middle income who can't get affordable healthcare through their job. Lastly,
the Medicare Savings Programs help pay Medicare expenses for people with low
income. You can read about them at mn.db101.org. [Person] Wow, I see how Minnesota Benefits can
be helpful in covering basic needs. [Narrator] You're right, they can.
The second way they help is by making sure you have more money when you work.
[Person] How do they do that? [Narrator] Let's say you get
$203 of General Assistance, then you get a job making $400 a month. When you work,
the cash benefits aren't reduced by every dollar you earn. With most of the cash benefits,
the first $65 you earn is excluded, and then only half of what's left is counted. That means
your General Assistance would only go down by $167.50, not the full $400 you earned. So,
you'd have $35.50 of General Assistance plus $400 of wages, which is $435.50. That's more than the
$203 you had. Now, that's certainly not enough to live on, but it's helpful safety net while
you build up your ability to work more. Since public benefits only help cover basic needs,
it's good to know work is the best option and can get you to a better place.
[Person] That's great. [Narrator] The third way
Minnesota Benefits help is by making sure people with disabilities have healthcare coverage when
working. This is possible through a program called Medical Assistance for Employed Persons
with Disabilities, or MA-EPD for short. [Person] Oh yeah, I think I've heard
of that. But I'm not sure how it works. [Narrator] It's easy to use. You just need to meet
the eligibility rules and pay a monthly premium. [Person] Okay, and what are the eligibility rules?
[Narrator] You must have a disability or blindness that's been certified by Social
Security or the Minnesota State Medical Review Team and be working. One of the most amazing
things about MA-EPD is that there's no upper-income limit and no limit on the
things you own. You can earn thousands of dollars each month, save for things like a house or car,
and still be eligible for MA-EPD. [Person] That is incredible. I'm so
relieved to know I can keep MA if I start working. I'm curious, what would the monthly premium be?
[Narrator] The amount you pay depends on your income. There's a calculator on mn.db101.org
that you can use to get an estimate. You'll find it in the MA-EPD article.
[Person] Great, I'll check it out. I see how the Minnesota Public Benefits
can help me cover basic needs when I need it, and make sure I get ahead when I work.
[Narrator] You can learn even more about the Minnesota Benefits on mn.db101.org. Check out the
Cash Benefits and Healthcare Coverage sections, or get answers to questions by starting a chat.
Click "chat online" at the top or bottom of each page. And if you'd like to talk to someone about
your questions, call the Disability Hub MN at 1-866-333-2466. To see more videos like this one,
go to mn.db101.org. Knowledge is power. Take time to learn more about Minnesota Benefits.