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| 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 Food Support. Applications for MSA must be made through your local county human services agency. |
| 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 |
| • 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. Disability for non-SSI recipients is determined by the State Medical Review Team. |
| Recipients must have resources that total no more than: |
| • $2,000 for an individual |
| 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 recipient’s monthly income and the appropriate MSA standard. Monthly MSA standards for 2010 are: |
| • Person living alone - $735 |
| • Person living with others - $542 |
| • Married couple living alone - $1,102 |
| • Married couple living with others - $738 |
| • Personal needs allowance (people in certain non-medical congregate care facilities) - $89 |
| MSA also allows special needs payments to qualified MSA participants for 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. |
| In state fiscal year 2009 (July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009), total annual payments were $31million. In the same period there were 28,219 recipients per month on average, with an average monthly payment of $91.45 per recipient. |
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