Government Benefits

Types of Government Benefits

Social Security Income

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a Social Security Administration program that gives funding to people with disabilities who have limited income or assets. SSI makes cash assistance payment to people who are elderly, blind or disabled and who have limited income.

Personal Care Assistance

Personal Care Assistance (PCA) services provide assistance to people with disabilities who need help with activities of daily living. To be eligible for PCA services, you need to be eligible for Medical Assistance and go through your county’s MNChoices Assessment process.

Home and Community Based Waivers

Some people require additional services beyond what’s covered under standard Medical Assistance (MA). Minnesota’s MA-Waiver Programs are designed to serve those people and provide the services necessary to allow them to live in the community.

Not all people with disabilities will qualify for a MA-Waiver program; each program serves a different target population and has its own eligibility criteria. Here are MA-Waiver programs available to Minnesotans with disabilities:

• Developmental Disabilities (DD) Waiver provides services to people with developmental disabilities or related conditions who qualify for Medical Assistance (MA). These services help people live in the community instead of in an Intermediate Care Facility for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (ICF/DD).
• The Community Alternatives for Disabled Individuals (CADI) Waiver serves people with disabilities who need the level of care offered in a nursing facility.
• The Community Alternative Care (CAC) Waiver provides services to people who are chronically ill and need the level of care provided in a hospital.

Each of these waivers offer different services based on the population served. All offer Personal Care Assistant services, extended home health aide and nursing services, extended homemaker services, medical equipment and supply services, and increased transportation services.