WELCOME
Welcome to the Benefits Planning Learning Community! Together we are working to remove the fear of loss of benefits as a barrier to employment for people with disabilities.
The purpose of this newsletter is to keep you informed, bring you the most up to date information about changes to benefits, highlight important resources, and help you have conversations, answer questions, and provide benefits planning to the people you support.
KEY MESSAGES ABOUT WORK AND BENEFITS
Five things everyone (and we mean everyone!) needs to know and communicate about work and benefits:
- Work and benefits can go together
- All public benefit programs in Minnesota support work
- People who work can earn more money than those who don't-- even if their benefits change
- Benefits should not be the reason someone chooses not to work
- Benefits planning helps people see how work is possible, work to their full potential, save money, and get ahead financially
UPCOMING EVENTS
Quarter Three Benefit Planning Learning Community Meeting
August 21 from 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Register here!
Want to increase your confidence in talking about work and benefits with the people you support? Join the Benefit Planning Learning Community quarterly meeting to get accurate, up-to-date information on benefit policies, access to tools to help navigate and plan, and connect with colleagues doing similar work.
This quarter's topics include:
- ABLE Accounts
- Housing Stabilization Services
- Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs) for MN Benefits
- New State Medical Review Team (SMRT) procedures
We also want to hear from you about what you've been up to, your goals this year for increasing confidence talking about work and benefits, and success stories. Hope to see you there!
BENEFITS UPDATES
ABLE Accounts
Beginning January 1, 2025, the ABLE Age Adjustment Act will expand eligibility for ABLE accounts to people whose disability began before age 46 (instead of before age 26). This change is expected to make over 6 million more people eligible for ABLE accounts nationwide.
As benefit planners, ABLE accounts give us a key opportunity to help people build their financial security. ABLE accounts let people save money without threatening needed benefits like Medical Assistance (MA) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
People don't have to be getting Social Security disability benefits to qualify for an ABLE account. They can still qualify by having a doctor certify that their disability began before age 46. ABLE accounts can be opened at any age, and the enrollment process is fast - typically under 15 minutes.
Share the ABLE Age Adjustment Fact Sheet with people you support and encourage them to explore this opportunity to get ahead financially.
Housing Stabilization Services (HSS)
You may have heard or seen in the news that the Department of Human Services (DHS) plans to terminate Housing Stabilization Services (HSS), a benefit offered through Medical Assistance to help people with disabilities find and keep housing. Temporary Commissioner Shireen Gandhi recently asked the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for permission and assistance to end the program "as swiftly as possible."
What does it mean for benefit planners?
You may get questions about HSS. Here are some important things to remember:
- Nothing is changing with Medical Assistance eligibility because of the change to HSS. People will still have Medical Assistance, and the work rules stay the same.
- Housing Stabilization Services is NOT the same as Housing Support. The changes in HSS do not affect the Housing Support benefit.
- We don't know when HSS is ending. DHS is waiting for approval from CMS. People getting the service will get notification when it ends.
- For more information, check out the FAQ for HSS providers and clients on the DHS website.
- To learn about their options, people can call Disability Hub MN at 888-333-2466 or chat online at www.disabilityhubmn.org. People who have case managers should contact their case manager for help navigating their options.
Cost of Living Adjustments for MN Benefits
The income guidelines for Minnesota benefits (Medical Assistance (MA), MN Supplemental Aid, and Housing Support) have been updated to include the Social Security Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) effective July 1, 2025. All updates have been made to DB101 articles and tools that include these benefits.
New SMRT Expedited Referrals Procedure and Unit
Certain high-risk Medical Assistance (MA) applicants can now get State Medical Review Team (SMRT) disability determinations more quickly. Effective June 15, 2025, people may qualify for an expedited SMRT review if they:
- Are in a facility and cannot be discharged without support services,
- Have life-threatening medical conditions requiring urgent treatment,
- Are diagnosed with a condition on the Social Security Administration's Compassionate Allowance List, or
- Are children under age two who screened positive for a rare disease.
Hospitals can now submit expedited referrals and must help patients with MA applications and provide necessary medical documentation. A new SMRT expedited unit at the Department of Human Services (DHS) will manage these referrals and support fast processing through electronic document transmission and electronic signatures.
FOLLOW-UP FROM LAST MEETING
Following up on two questions from our last recent Benefit Planning Learning Community meeting:
1. Will a person who just had a 12-month suspension for SSI because their assets were over the limit get a new 12-month suspension period of their assets were only below the limit for one month?
Yes, people on SSI who go over the asset limit are ineligible for an SSI payment that month. Social Security does not close their case, but moves them into "suspension status," which can last up to 12 months. During that time, if the person still has a disability and brings their assets back under the limit, they can start getting SSI payments again. If their assets go over the limit again later, they are eligible for a new 12-month suspension period. There is no limit on how many times someone can go in and out of suspension status.
AND, if you see this happening, it's a GREAT time to talk to the person about how ABLE accounts could help!
2. Is someone required to apply for MFIP as a condition of MA eligibility?
No, people do not have to apply for MFIP as a condition of MA eligibility. For more information, see Bulletin 25-21-03, which eliminated the requirement to apply for other income benefits for certain MA programs.
Remember, people applying for MA under the aged, blind or disabled basis of eligibility who do not have a disability certification from the Social Security Administration (SSA) must still apply for Social Security disability benefits even if they have a disability certification from the State Medical Review Team (SMRT), except for TEFRA applicants. TEFRA applicants are not required to apply for Social Security disability benefits.
NEW WEBSITE FEATURE
HB101 Places
HB101 Places has added a new feature that allows users to filter search results to show programs that offer or "have housing" and programs that "help find housing".
Programs that "have housing" have specific places where people can live (site-based). Programs that "help find housing" help people find a place to live and get the services they need (scattered-site).
You can share this resource with people you support to help them get connected to help finding the best place for them.