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Minnesota Supplemental Aid

Minnesota Supplemental Aid (MSA) is a state-funded program that provides a monthly cash supplement to people who are aged, blind or disabled and who receive federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. Some recipients who do not receive SSI because their other income is too high may still be eligible for MSA if they meet MSA eligibility criteria and their income is below the MSA standard. MSA participants are also eligible for help with medical costs through the Medical Assistance (MA) program and for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Applications for MSA must be made through your local county human services agency.

Eligibility

MSA is available to Minnesota residents who are recipients of SSI, or

• are eligible for SSI except for excess income and whose net income is less than the MSA standards

• age 65 or older

• blind or have severely impaired vision, or

• disabled according to the criteria used for Retirement, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (RSDI) and SSI and be between the ages of 18 and 65.

Recipients must have resources that total no more than:

• $2,000 for an individual

• $3,000 for a couple.

Monthly benefits

MSA standards are adjusted annually by the amount of the cost of living adjustment (COLA) in SSI. The monthly MSA grant is based on the difference between the appropriate SSI benefit rate (or recipient’s monthly income, if higher) and the appropriate MSA standard. Monthly MSA standards for 2012 are:

• Person living alone - $759

• Person living with others - $558

• Married couple living alone - $1,139

• Married couple living with others - $763

• Personal needs allowance (people in certain non-medical congregate care facilities) - $92

MSA also allows special needs payments to qualified MSA participants for medically prescribed diets, representative payee services, guardian or conservator service fees, necessary nonrecurring home repairs or replacement of household furniture and appliances, shelter costs for clients relocating from an institution into the community or who receive Medical Assistance home waiver services. Special once-a-year funding may be available for emergency situations when a person or family member lacks basic need items, such as a lack of shelter or food, and that lack threatens the person’s or family’s health or safety.

Program recipients and costs

In state fiscal year 2011 (July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2011), total annual payments were $35.7 million. In the same period there were 30,154 recipients per month on average, with an average monthly payment of $96.94 per recipient.

Applying for MSA

To apply for the MSA program, applicants should contact their county human services agency . Applicants may also download a Combined Application Form (CAF) (DHS-5223-ENG). The completed CAF can be mailed or taken to the local county human services agency. For security reasons, applicants cannot apply for assistance online.

MSA households described in annual survey

A current snapshot of the household, demographic and economic characteristics of Minnesota Supplemental Aid (MSA) households and eligible persons is provided in an brief annual report, “December 2012 Minnesota Supplemental Aid: Cases and Eligible People.”

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