621.01 CFI Financial Assistance (AAM)

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Choices For Independence (CFI), a Home and Community-Based Care (HCBC) service, is a medical service and not a cash assistance program. Only those individuals whose net income is less than or equal to the "Financial Assistance" income limits for individuals in Independent Living, Residential Care Facility, or Community Residence living arrangements, as listed in PART 601, Table A, Income Limits, are potentially eligible for a cash benefit. Individuals eligible for CFI via the special income limits listed in PART 601, Table B, Special Income Limits for CFI and HCBC Individuals, are not eligible for a cash benefit; they are only eligible for CFI medical services.

Use the following steps to determine income eligibility for cash benefits for CFI applicants:

1. Subtract the earned income disregard from each individual’s gross earned income to obtain the individual’s net earned income.

2. Add all the net earned income amounts for each individual in the assistance group.

3. Add the countable gross unearned income for each individual in the assistance group to the total net earned income calculated in Step 2.

4. Subtract the adult standard disregard.

5. Subtract any allowable deductions. The result is the case net income.

6. Compare net income to the "Financial Assistance" income limits for the appropriate living arrangement in Table A.

7. If net income is less than or equal to the "Financial Assistance" income limits in Table A, see PART 617, Grant Determination, to determine the cash assistance benefit.

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All recipients of cash assistance must acknowledge their reimbursement obligations. See Section 317.01, Reimbursement – Financial Assistance, for more information on this topic.