Do child SS survivor benefits count towards Medicaid income limits or just my own?

For Medicaid they usually only count YOUR income for YOUR eligibility. Your kids benefits count for THEIR eligibility not yours. Each person is separate. at least thats how it worked when i applied last year.

The previous response is generally correct, but there are some important details to understand about how Medicaid handles Social Security survivor benefits: 1. For adult Medicaid eligibility, only YOUR survivor benefits count as YOUR income. Your children's benefits are considered their income, not yours. 2. However, Medicaid eligibility is determined based on the MAGI (Modified Adjusted Gross Income) methodology, which considers your tax filing status and household composition. 3. If you claim your children as dependents on your taxes, the household size increases, which actually raises the income threshold for eligibility. 4. Make sure you clearly indicate on your application which benefits belong to whom. Label your children's survivor benefits specifically as theirs, not yours. 5. Different states may have slightly different implementation of these rules, so it's always good to get specific information for your state.

OMG I went through this EXACT same problem last year!!! The first caseworker I had counted ALL the benefits as my income and denied me. I was DEVASTATED. Then I appealed and got a different caseworker who fixed it and approved me!!! Make sure you bring the award letters that show exactly which benefits are yours and which are your kids'. And don't give up if they deny you the first time!!!

Just want to add that I worked for state healthcare enrollment for 6 years, and this confusion happens ALL THE TIME. Technically, Social Security survivor benefits paid to children are the CHILDREN'S income, not the parent's income. But here's where it gets tricky - some caseworkers mistakenly count it all as household income. The key is to be very clear about who each benefit belongs to and have documentation showing the separate payments. Also, when you complete the application, make sure to correctly identify each source of income and who it belongs to. Don't just list a total household income figure.

If you're having trouble getting through to anyone at the Medicaid office to get this clarified, you might want to try Claimyr (claimyr.com). I used them to get through to Social Security when I had issues with my survivor benefits application. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. It helped me actually reach a real person instead of waiting on hold forever. Since you're dealing with both SS and Medicaid, it might be worth it to get clear information directly from an agent.

I dunno why everyones making this so complicated. Just report EXACTLY what the 1099s say. SSA sends separate 1099s for your benefit and each kid. Medicaid can see whose SSN is on each form. Thats it! Just show them the paperwork!

Update: I finally got through to someone at Medicaid who seemed to really know what they were talking about. They confirmed that my children's survivor benefits are NOT counted towards MY income for Medicaid eligibility purposes! They are considered the children's income. However, they said I should bring all the award letters showing the separate payments to my in-person appointment. Thank you everyone for your help - this forum saved me so much stress!