OLGT 2022-49: COVID-19: Standard Medical Deduction Waiver
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has approved the Department’s request to allow elderly and/or disabled clients to self-declare medical expenses within the standard medical deduction (SMD) range. This range includes eligible out-of-pocket medical costs greater than $35, and less than or equal to $190 per month. This flexibility will allow clients to access the SMD deduction without the burden of collecting multiple receipts and documents, while also maximizing the households SNAP benefits. In addition, staff will see a reduction in the administrative burden of reviewing and entering documents, as the Department prepares for the sunsetting of the Public Health emergency.
However, to receive a medical expense deduction above $190, clients will still be required to submit verification.
To support this change, there will be system enhancements to both BEACON and DTA Connect. In the meantime, a new Online Guide page (in the COVID- 19 book) details the temporary procedures that staff must follow to implement this change using the existing BEACON workflow.
Staff are encouraged to use a new temporary screening tool known as the “Medical Expense Tracker” that is transmitted with this update. The Medical Expense Tracker aims to streamline the process of recording the medical information, differentiating between recurring and non-recurring expenses, and determining whether a household must verify the medical expenses via self- declaration or documentary evidence.
Lastly, as the Department implements the expanded SMD waiver, staff must remember that, like the Interim Report, the COVID-19 recertification form does not ask about medical expenses. Therefore, if a client indicates no change on a COVID-19 recertification form, staff must not remove the medical expenses on file.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| OLGT 2022-49 SMD self dec.pdf (236.76 KB) | 236.76 KB |