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Minnesota Family Planning Program

4.1.3.3 Income Methodology (Archive)

Income eligibility for the Minnesota Family Planning Program (MFPP) is determined as follows:

Income

Income is cash or in-kind benefits available to a person. Income is divided into two major categories, earned and unearned:

Earned income is cash or in-kind benefits received in return for work or services, including employment and self-employment.
Unearned income is cash or in-kind benefits received without being required to perform any work or service, including spousal maintenance, child support, annuities, pensions and so on.

Income is either counted or not counted. Income is not counted if it is unavailable or if it is excluded by law. Whether income is counted depends on the type of income. Income is usually counted in the month it is received. See Appendix B Types of Income for definitions of the different types of income.

Counted Income

AmeriCorps State or National living allowances and other payments
AmeriCorps-National Civilian Community Corps (AmeriCorps NCCC) living allowances and other payments
Amount over $2,000 interest income from Indian trust land or other restricted Indian lands
Amount over $2,000 of cash payments from tax-exempt organizations for a child with a life-threatening condition
Annuity payments
Blood and blood plasma sales
Child support income
Clergy housing allowances
Commissions
Compensation from an employer's vacation donation program, if paid and taxed in the same manner as the employee's usual pay
Conservation and Youth Service Corps wages
Court-ordered dependent care expense payments
Disability payments that are part of the employer’s benefit package
Experience Works wages
Extended income support payments through the Trade Adjustment Reform Act of 2002 (TAA)
Gifts
Higher Education Innovative Projects wages
Honoraria
Hostile fire, imminent danger and combat pay
Income from self-employment
Income that is withheld to repay a legal debt or obligation
Income withheld to repay a legal debt or obligation
In-kind income if the person has the option to receive cash instead of in-kind income
Interest and dividends received as payments
Jury duty pay
Lump sum income
National and Community Service Models wages
Net self-employment income
Non-Title IV of HEA and non-BIA grants, scholarships, fellowships and other non-loan financial aid that requires teaching, research, or other work in order to receive the aid for graduate students
Non-Title IV of HEA and non-BIA grants, scholarships, fellowships and other non-loan financial aid that does not require work to receive the aid for graduate students, after deducting allowable student expenses
Non-Title IV of HEA and non-BIA student loans for graduate students, after deducting allowable student expenses
Picket duty pay
Public and private pensions
Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) benefits
Refugee Resettlement Program grants
Regular cash gift income or cash gift income that exceeds $30 per three months
Retirement, Survivor’s and Disability Insurance (RSDI), except for specific exclusions
Royalties
Senior Aids Program wages
Serve America wages
Severance pay
Sick pay based on accrued leave time
Spousal maintenance income
Tips
Tribal per capita payments from gaming revenue (casino profits)
Trust disbursements
Unemployment insurance
Vacation pay
Value of in-kind gifts from tax-exempt organizations for a child with a life-threatening condition when those gifts are converted to cash
Veteran’s Administration benefits
Vocational Rehabilitation current living expense payments
Voluntary Resettlement Agency Matching Grant Program grants
Wages
Workers’ Compensation
Workforce Investment Act (WIA) earned income of a child under age 18 or 18 years old and expected to graduate by age 19, who is not a student, beyond six months per year

Excluded Income

Agent Orange Settlement Fund payments
All income of refugee unaccompanied minors
American Indian tribal land settlements and judgment funds that are held in trust by the Secretary of the Interior or distributed per capita pursuant to a plan prepared by the Secretary of the Interior
AmeriCorps Vista payments
Assets converted to cash
Bills paid by a third party
Blood Product Settlement payments
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) student financial aid for undergraduate and graduate students
Child Care and Development Block Grant Act payments
Class action settlement agreement in Jensen et al v. Minnesota Department of Human Services, et al.
Clinical trial participation payments
Cobell Settlement for American Indians
Community fundraiser income not under the control of the applicant, enrollee or a responsible relative
Consumer Support Grant (CSG) payments
Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) payments
Costs necessary to secure the payments of unearned income, such as attorney's fees and medical fees
Court-ordered medical support
Coverdell Education Savings Account (ESA) payments used for educational expenses
Crime victim payments
Disaster assistance
Family Support Grant (FSG) payments
Federal Relocation Assistance
Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation (FVEC) fund payments
First $2,000 interest income from Indian trust land or other restricted Indian lands
First $2,000 of cash payments from tax-exempt organizations for a child with a life-threatening condition
First $10,000 of court-ordered Workers Compensation settlements
Foster Care Assistance
Gifts of cash for tuition or education
Gifts of cash to purchase a prosthetic device not covered by health care or other insurance
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) subsidies
Inaccessible income such as unpaid court ordered child support
Income excluded by the Social Security Administration to determine Supplemental Security Income (SSI) eligibility
Income used by the Social Security Administration to determine SSI eligibility
Income withheld to repay a prior overpayment of benefits made by the same income source
Individual Development Accounts (IDA)
In-kind income if the person does not have the option to receive cash
Insurance payments not payable or available to the applicant
Interest and dividends accrued and combined with counted assets, within the asset limit
Irregular cash gift income of less than $30 per three months
IV-E and State-Subsidized Adoption Assistance
James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010
Japanese and Aleutian Restitution payments
Loans – principal portion of loan payments
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) payments
Military salary reductions
Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwa Elder Supplement Assistance Program
Money received and spend to cover someone else’s expenses
Nazi Persecution payments
Non-Title IV of HEA and non-BIA grants, scholarships, fellowships and other non-loan financial aid that requires teaching, research, or other work to receive the aid for undergraduate students
Non-Title IV of HEA and non-BIA grants, scholarships, fellowships and other non-loan financial aid that does not require work to receive the aid for undergraduate students
Non-Title IV of HEA and non-BIA student loans for undergraduate students
Payments used to reimburse a custodial parent for health insurance premiums
Per capita distributions of all funds held in trust by the Secretary of the Interior to members of an Indian tribe
Program participation incentive payments
Public Assistance Payments, such as general assistance (GA), Minnesota Supplemental Aid (MSA), Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA), Diversionary Work Program benefits (DWP), Work Benefit Program benefits (WB)
Radiation Exposure Compensation Act payments
Refunds of security and utility deposits
Reimbursements for employment and training, medical expenses and property
Relative Custody Assistance
Retirement, Survivor’s and Disability Insurance (RSDI) for children under age 18 under the TEFRA option or receiving home and community based waiver services
Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Act payments
Student financial aid expenses for tuition, mandatory fees, course and lab fees, books, supplies and equipment required for course work, child care costs incurred while at school or in transit, transportation to and from school
Student financial aid from a Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 program for undergraduate and graduate students
SSI
Tax credits, rebates and refunds
Training expenses under the Trade Adjustment Reform Act of 2002
Veterans’ Children with Certain Birth Defects payments
Veterans’ Affairs (VA) education assistance
Vietnamese Commando Compensation Act payments
Vocational Rehabilitation payments, except current living expense payments
Wages and other earned income of a child under age 18 or 18 years old and expected to graduate by age 19, who is a full or part-time student and works less than 37.5 hours per week
Workforce Investment Act (WIA) earned income of a child under age 18 or 18 years old and expected to graduate by age 19, who is a full or part-time student and works at least 37.5 hours per week
WIA earned income of a child under age 18 or 18 years old and expected to graduate by age 19, who is not a student, six months per year
WUV payments from the Dutch government to victims of Nazi persecution

Whose Income Counts

When calculating income totals for a person, it is often necessary to count another person’s income in that determination. This is called deeming.

The income deeming requirements used to determine eligibility for MA for Families with Children apply, except that for a person under age 21, no income from a parent, spouse, or sponsor is deemed to the person.

Sponsor Deeming

Adult immigrant non-citizens who have a sponsor and are age 21 or older must have the income of the sponsor deemed to them for MFPP.

Applicants with a sponsor must have an Affidavit of Support (USCIS I-864). The county, tribal or state servicing agency sends the Sponsor Letter (DHS-3453) to the sponsor.

The following income of the sponsor is deemed to the applicant and counted:

Gross income
Cash assistance received by the sponsor
Net self-employment income

Sponsor Deeming Exceptions

Sponsor deeming does not apply to sponsored non-citizens who have 40 qualifying work quarters.

A person meeting both of the following can have a 12-month deferment of sponsor deeming, with a potential 12-month extension:

A battered non-citizen immigration status who is subjected to extreme cruelty and is not living with the batterer; and
There is a substantial connection between the need for health care coverage and the battery. There is substantial connection between the need resulting from the battery of the non-citizen or his or her children and the need for health care coverage if any of the following conditions are met:
- To enable them to become self-sufficient following separation from the abuser
- To enable escape from the abuser or the community where the abuser lives, or to ensure safety from the abuser
- Due to a loss of financial support or loss of a job due to their separation from the abuser
  - Including job loss due to work absence or reduced job performance because of the abuse or cruelty or related legal proceedings, such as child support or custody disputes
- Due to a need to obtain medical attention or mental health counseling or they are disabled because of the battery or cruelty
- Because of lost housing or income, or the fear of separation from the abuser jeopardizes the ability to care for their children
- To alleviate nutritional risks or need resulting from the abuse or following the separation from the abuser
- To provide medical care during an unwanted pregnancy resulting from the abuser’s sexual assault, or the relationship with the abuser. Or to care for any resulting children
- To replace medical coverage or health care services they had when living with the abuser

Legal Citations

Minnesota Rules, parts 9505.5300 to 9505.5325

Minnesota Statutes, section 256B.78

United States Code, title 42, section 1396a