Does unemployment count as income for medicaid eligibility in NYS?

Yes, unemployment benefits do count as income for Medicaid eligibility purposes. However, the income limits for Medicaid in New York are actually pretty generous - around $1,677 per month for a single person in 2025. Your $320/week ($1,280/month) should still qualify you. You'll need to report your UI benefits when you apply.

definitely counts as income but like the other person said the limits are higher now. i had to deal with this last year when i was on unemployment. they asked for my benefit statement from the nys department of labor website as proof

Wait, what if my unemployment runs out while I'm on Medicaid? Do I need to report that change too? I'm so confused about all these income reporting requirements...

I struggled with this exact situation and couldn't get through to anyone at the Medicaid office for weeks. If you need to talk to someone at NYS Department of Labor about getting documentation for your Medicaid application, I found a service called Claimyr that actually got me through to an agent the same day. Check out claimyr.com - they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Saved me so much frustration with the phone system.

this whole system is such a mess. you need income to survive but then they penalize you for having income when you try to get healthcare. makes no sense

Same boat here! Just applied for Medicaid while getting UI benefits and got approved within 2 weeks. The income limits are definitely doable if you're on regular unemployment.

Just went through this process myself a few months ago! Yes, unemployment benefits count as income, but don't stress - the Medicaid income limits in NY are pretty reasonable. I was getting about $350/week in UI benefits and still qualified easily. When you apply, you'll need to provide your most recent benefit statement from the NY DOL website. Pro tip: apply online through NY State of Health if you can - it's much faster than the paper application. The whole process took about 3 weeks for me and I got approved without any issues.

Been through this exact situation! Your $320/week definitely won't disqualify you - that's only about $1,380/month which is well under the income limit. I'd recommend calling the NY State of Health customer service line at 1-855-355-5777 if you have any questions during the application process. They were really helpful when I applied while on unemployment last year. Also make sure to keep all your UI documentation organized - you might need to provide updates if your benefit amount changes or when your claim period ends.

I just went through this exact process a couple months ago! Your unemployment benefits definitely count as income for Medicaid, but don't worry - at $320/week you're well within the income limits. When I applied, I had to provide my benefit payment history from the NYS DOL website (you can download it from your online account). The whole application took about 2-3 weeks and I got approved without any issues. One thing to keep in mind - you'll need to report any changes to your unemployment status (like if benefits end or the amount changes) within 10 days to Medicaid. But honestly, being on unemployment actually makes you more likely to qualify, not less! The income limits are designed to help people in exactly your situation.

I'm in a similar situation and this thread has been incredibly helpful! Just wanted to add that if you're worried about the income reporting requirements, you can also set up automatic notifications through your NY State of Health account to remind you about renewal dates and when to report changes. I found this really useful because unemployment situations can change quickly and it's easy to forget the 10-day reporting rule. Also, if anyone is having trouble accessing their NYS DOL account to get the benefit payment history, try clearing your browser cache first - I had login issues that were resolved that way. Good luck with your application!

Just wanted to share my recent experience since I was in almost the exact same situation! I was getting $315/week in unemployment and was terrified about applying for Medicaid. Turns out I was worried for nothing - got approved in about 10 days. The key thing that helped me was having all my documentation ready beforehand. I downloaded my benefit payment history from the NYS DOL website (found it under "View and Maintain Account Information" like others mentioned), and also had my most recent tax return just in case. One tip I wish someone had told me: when you're filling out the application, there's a specific section for unemployment benefits - don't just lump it in with "other income." Being specific about the type of income actually seemed to speed up the process. Also, if you're worried about what happens when your UI benefits eventually run out, the Medicaid office told me that lower income just makes you more eligible, so that's one less thing to stress about!