Does Washington ESD unemployment count as income for Medicaid eligibility?

Thanks for confirming! Do I report just the weekly amount or do I need to calculate it monthly?

Report it as monthly income. So if you're getting $580 weekly, that's about $2,507 per month. Make sure to use your gross UI amount before any taxes are withheld.

That makes sense. I wasn't sure since it's not wages from a job but it is still income I'm receiving.

Never heard of that service but might be worth checking out. I've been trying to call DSHS for days about my application.

Yeah it's pretty straightforward to use. Just helps you get through to an actual person instead of sitting on hold forever.

I'm not working right now, just collecting UI while job searching. But good to know for the future.

Yeah the job search requirements are pretty strict now. I have to document at least 3 job contacts per week for my weekly claims.

No, Medicaid income limits are actually pretty generous. For a single person in Washington, you can earn up to about $1,677 per month and still qualify. $400/week is only about $1,733/month so you might still be eligible.

oh ok thats good to know. i was worried i'd have to choose between UI and medicaid

Where can I find the most current income limits? I want to make sure I'm using the right numbers.

Check the Washington Healthplanfinder website or call them directly. They'll have the most up-to-date eligibility requirements.

You'll need to report the income change to Medicaid when your UI benefits end. Your eligibility might actually improve since you'll have lower income.

That's a relief. I was worried I'd lose coverage right when I need it most during job searching.

Good point. I should probably look into that too since money's tight right now.

Yeah I got approved for both Medicaid and SNAP while on unemployment. Every little bit helps when you're job hunting.

Thanks for the heads up! How far back did they want the payment history?

They wanted the last 3 months of payments. You can print that right from your SecureAccess Washington account.

Yeah don't overthink it. Just report your UI benefits as monthly income and let them do the eligibility calculation. Better to apply and see if you qualify than to assume you don't.

I'm single so that's not an issue for me, but good to know for others reading this.

Yeah the household income thing caught me off guard when I applied. Had to get my husband's pay stubs too.

Is that the same service someone mentioned earlier? Might be worth trying if I run into issues.

Yeah same one. I was skeptical at first but it beat spending hours on hold trying to get through myself.

That's reassuring. I was worried about losing health coverage right when I need it most during unemployment.

Exactly. The whole point of these programs is to help people during tough times like job loss.

Wow, I didn't know about the retroactive coverage. That's really good to know since I've been putting off a doctor visit.

Yeah keep your receipts and documentation. I had some medical bills covered retroactively when I got approved.

Good to hear. I've been putting it off because I thought it would be really complicated.

Nah it's not bad. Just have your UI payment info ready and it goes pretty smoothly.

Third recommendation for that service in this thread. Must actually work if people keep mentioning it.

Yeah I was surprised how well it worked. Saved me a lot of frustration trying to get through to someone.

Same here. This thread answered all my questions. Time to stop procrastinating and just apply.

Good luck to both of you! The peace of mind from having health coverage is worth the application hassle.