The new year brings with it an expected change in the US Federal Poverty Guidelines, and as would also be expected, they are a little higher than before. The guidelines are used to determine the financial eligibility for state and federal programs, and so play a huge role in the lives of those who receive benefits. The figures determine whether an SSDI recipient would qualify for s a Medicare Savings Program such as Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB).
For this year 100% of the Federal Poverty Level for a household of one is annual income of $13,590, which is somewhat of a leap from 2021’s figure of $12,880. Therefore, for example, an individual with Medicare would meet the income eligibility criteria for QMB with a monthly income of $1,132.50 or less. The countable monthly income limit for the highly valued work incentive that is Employed Individuals with Disabilities (EID) is always set at 300% of the FPL. This means that this year the countable monthly income threshold will be set at a very reasonable $3,397.50.
For more details on the new figures for varying household sizes you can see them here: Poverty Guidelines | ASPE (hhs.gov)