Frequently Asked Questions

• Visit or call your local county or tribal human services office.
• If you have a disability, Chat with a Hub expert to learn if you have additional options.
• If you do not speak English, call the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) Multilingual Referral Line.
• Minnesota has detailed information about the changes happening with health care reform.

The only way you can apply for Medical Assistance for Employed Persons with Disabilities (MA-EPD) is by filling out the Minnesota Health Care Programs Application for Certain Populations and taking it or mailing it to your local county or tribal human services office. You cannot sign up online.

Note: You should only use this application if you think you might qualify for MA-EPD. If you are not sure whether you qualify for MA-EPD, Chat with a Hub expert.

No. You can continue to get the MA-EPD benefits you currently receive.

To qualify for MA-EPD, you must:

• Be a Minnesota resident who is working or self-employed, paying Social Security and Medicare taxes, and earning more than $65 per month. (If you are self-employed, your earnings are your self-employment income minus business expenses and self-employment taxes.)
• Be certified disabled by the Social Security Administration (SSA) or the State Medical Review Team (SMRT).
• Not be eligible for standard Medical Assistance (MA) without a spenddown, and you must not be living in a long-term care facility for more than 30 days.

No. You must pay a monthly premium based on your income and household size. As your income goes up, or as your household size goes down, your premium will go up. There is a $35 minimum premium for the program. For an estimate of what your MA-EPD premium would be, use the MA-EPD Estimator.

Yes. MA-EPD pays for the same services that standard MA pays for, including doctor visits, medical equipment, and Personal Care Assistant (PCA) services. See the complete list of services covered by MA-EPD.

MA: You may qualify for income-based MA or disability-based MA, depending on your situation. You also qualify for MA if you qualify for SSI’s 1619(b) provision.

MA with a spenddown: You "spend down" your income by paying the first part of your medical costs. The amount you are responsible to pay before disability-based MA starts paying is the difference between your countable income and the "income standard." The income standard is 100% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG) ($1,255 for an individual, $1,704 for a family of two). Note: Usually, if you qualify, MA-EPD will be a better option than MA with a spenddown.

Medical Assistance for Employed Persons with Disabilities (MA-EPD): You pay a monthly premium based on your income and household size. Generally, if you are certified disabled by the Social Security Administration or the State Medical Review Team (SMRT) and are working you will qualify for MA-EPD.

DB101's MA overview compares these different ways of qualifying for MA.

Usually, MA-EPD is a better deal, because you will end up paying less than you would with MA with a spenddown, while getting the exact same services.

If you have a lot of old, unpaid medical bills, you should talk to your county or tribal human services office to find out if you would be better off with MA-EPD or MA with a spenddown until the bills are paid.

For estimates on MA-EPD premiums and MA monthly spenddown amounts, use the MA-EPD Estimator.

You must work and earn at least $65 a month to qualify for MA-EPD. But there is no upper income limit. This is one of the great advantages of MA-EPD: you could earn tens of thousands of dollars per month and still qualify for the program.

The more you earn, the higher your monthly premium will be.

No! Starting January 1, 2024, MA-EPD doesn't have an asset limit.

Yes. There are a couple of reasons why you might want both private coverage and MA-EPD:

• MA-EPD may cover services that your private coverage doesn’t (e.g., transportation, home care, medical equipment).
• If the county determines that your private coverage is cost-effective, MA-EPD will actually pay your private premiums, copayments and deductibles. If this is the case and your MA-EPD premium is less than your private premium, there is no reason not to keep both forms of coverage. You’d pay less and get more comprehensive coverage.

It depends on your situation and the services you need. In some situations, it makes sense to enroll in both.

MA-EPD covers a lot of services that Medicare doesn’t and you might reduce the amount you have to pay in coinsurance, deductibles, and copayments by enrolling in both programs as opposed to just Medicare.

If you are eligible for Medicare, you have to keep it in order to enroll in MA-EPD. The state will pay your Medicare Part B premium for you if your total income is less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines ($2,510 per month for an individual).

In most cases, no. The actual medical coverage you get from MA will basically be the same, no matter how you qualified. Generally speaking, the big difference is that people with disabilities have extra ways to qualify and if you have a disability and start working, you can earn more while still getting MA coverage.

DB101 has four articles about different ways to get MA:

• DB101's MA overview compares the different ways of qualifying.
• The income-based MA article explains the most common way to qualify, which does not require you to have a disability.
• The disability-based MA explains a common way that people with disabilities who have low incomes can qualify.
• The MA-EPD article explains a way that people with disabilities can get MA coverage by paying a premium, no matter how high their income.

If you are not sure how you qualified for MA, you can ask your local county or tribal human services office.