California Disability Requirements for Medicaid & Medicare
- Medicare is America's national health insurance program, benefiting 44 million Americans every year, mostly those age 65 and older. Of those 44 million, approximately 7 million are covered due to a disability; adults ages 18 and older with disability can qualify for Medicare benefits. Applicants must apply for Social Security Disability Income benefits before receiving Medicare assistance. California's Medicaid program, Medi-Cal, is open to disabled people of all ages who meet specific monthly income requirements.
- For California residents between 18 and 65, eligibility for Medicare disability benefits is linked to whether or not a person qualifies for Social Security Disability Income, or SSDI. You must qualify for -- and receive -- SSDI to receive Medicare disability benefits. One exception is those with end-stage renal disease who automatically qualify.
People older than 65 must qualify for Social Security Retirement Benefits to get Medicare coverage.
SSDI requires a person be unemployed for 12 months due to an approved mental or physical illness, have a combination of impairments or have a terminal disability due to an impairment. Apply for SSDI at any of California's Social Security Administration offices. Income benefits come five months after being approved, and Medicare benefits begin two years after being approved. - For SSDI applicants, the 24-month waiting period for Medicare benefits may be waived for those with Lou Gehrig's disease or end-stage renal disease.
With Lou Gehrig's disease -- or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis -- SSDI applicants will begin to receive Medicare coverage the first month they start receiving monthly SSDI payments.
SSDI eligibility is often monitored; a successful kidney operation or improved condition may disqualify you for Medicare. - Because children and retired people are not eligible for SSDI benefits, due to their lack of work credits, they are not eligible for Medicare help. Disabled children, instead, can qualify for Supplemental Security Income -- SSI -- and are then eligible for help under Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program.
- To qualify for Medi-Cal as a disabled person, as of 2010, you must have less than $2,000 in assets (not including your car, primary home and household goods, and personal belongings) or less than $3,000 with your spouse or partner and fall under a certain income level.
Medi-Cal has several programs designed to benefit specific segments of disabled and elderly people, including Supplemental Security Income, Aged & Disabled Federal Poverty Level, Medi-Cal with a Share of Cost and 250% Working Disabled (California Working Disabled).
To qualify for SSI, you must have a monthly income less than $845 (or $1,407.20 as a couple), as of 2010. Those who are blind may make a higher monthly income and still qualify.
To qualify for A&D FPL, you must make a monthly income less than $1,133 (or less than $1,525 as a couple), as of 2010.
To qualify for SOC, you must make less than $1,133 per month (or $1,525 per month as a couple), as of 2010.
To qualify for CWD, you must be employed, meet Social Security's definition of disability and pay a small monthly premium. You may make up to $2,257 per month (or up to $3,036 per month), as of 2010, and still qualify. - To qualify for California's disability benefits, you must meet the federal disability requirements of the United States Social Security department. In determining whether or not a person is disabled, the government wants to know whether or not you can still do your job, about your educational background and about your previous job functions.
The Social Security Administration has a full listing of impairments that qualify a person for disability benefits, which includes both mental and physical impairments.