State Choices to Promote Asset Protection

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  Public Health Insurance for Parents Public Health Insurance for Children Food Stamps TANF Cash Assistance
  Asset eligibility criteria Asset eligibility criteria Asset eligibility criteria Asset eligibility criteria
  Assets disregarded for eligibility determination (2009)1 Assets disregarded for Medicaid eligibility (2009)3 Assets disregarded for SCHIP (separate program) eligibility (2009)1 Treatment of vehicles in asset test (FY 2007)7 Assets disregarded for eligibility determination (2005)10 At least 1 vehicle excluded from asset test (2003)11
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Alabama Yes Yes Yes Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No Yes
Alaska No ($2,000) Yes No separate SCHIP Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No Yes
Arizona Yes Yes Yes Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No Yes
Arkansas No ($1,000) Yes No separate SCHIP Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No Yes
California No ($3,150) Yes Yes Aligned to TANF child care assistance rules No No
Colorado Yes Yes Yes Aligned to TANF child care assistance rules No Yes, if used for employment
Connecticut Yes Yes Yes Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No No
Delaware Yes Yes Yes Categorical eligibility8 No No
District of Columbia Yes Yes No separate SCHIP Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No Yes
Florida No ($2,000) Yes Yes Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No No
Georgia No ($1,000) Yes Yes Aligned to TANF-funded non-cash assistance rules No No
Hawaii No ($3,250) Yes No separate SCHIP Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No Yes
Idaho No ($1,000) Yes Yes Federal food stamp rules9 No No
Illinois Yes Yes Yes Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No Yes
Indiana No ($1,000) Yes Yes Aligned to TANF child care assistance rules No No
Iowa No ($2,000) Yes Yes Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No No
Kansas Yes Yes Yes Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No Yes
Kentucky No ($2,000) Yes Yes Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No Yes
Louisiana Yes Yes Yes Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No Yes
Maine No ($2,000)2 Yes Yes Categorical eligibility and aligned to TANF cash assistance rules8 No Yes
Maryland Yes Yes No separate SCHIP Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No Yes
Massachusetts Yes Yes Yes Aligned to TANF child care assistance rules No No
Michigan No ($3,000) Yes Yes Categorical eligibility8 No Yes
Minnesota No ($20,000) Yes No separate SCHIP Categorical eligibility No No
Mississippi Yes Yes Yes Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No Yes
Missouri Yes Yes4 Yes Aligned to TANF child care assistance rules No Yes
Nebraska No ($6,000) Yes No separate SCHIP Aligned to TANF child care assistance rules No Yes
Nevada No ($2,000) Yes Yes Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No Yes
New Hampshire No ($1,000) Yes Yes Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No Yes
New Jersey Yes Yes Yes Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No No
New Mexico Yes Yes No separate SCHIP Aligned to TANF child care assistance rules No Yes
New York No ($6,600) Yes Yes Aligned to TANF-funded non-cash assistance rules No No
North Carolina No ($3,000) Yes Yes Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No Yes
North Dakota Yes Yes Yes Categorical eligibility8 No Yes
Ohio Yes Yes No separate SCHIP Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules Yes Not applicable12
Oklahoma Yes Yes No separate SCHIP Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No No
Oregon No ($2,500) Yes No ($10,000) Categorical eligibility8 No No
Pennsylvania Yes Yes Yes Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No Yes
Rhode Island Yes Yes No separate SCHIP Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No No
South Dakota No ($2,000) Yes Yes Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No Yes
Tennessee No ($2,000) Yes Yes Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No No
Vermont No ($3,150) Yes Yes Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No Yes
Virginia Yes Yes Yes Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules Yes Yes
Washington No ($1,000) Yes Yes Categorical eligibility8 No No
West Virginia No ($1,000) Yes Yes Aligned to TANF child care assistance rules No Yes
Wisconsin Yes Yes No separate SCHIP Aligned to TANF child care assistance rules No No
Wyoming Yes Yes Yes Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No No
South Carolina No ($30,000) No ($30,000) No ($30,000) Categorical eligibility and aligned to TANF cash assistance rules8 No Yes
Utah No ($3,025) No ($3,025)5 Yes Aligned to TANF cash assistance rules No No
Texas No ($2,000) No ($2,000) No ($10,000)6 Categorical eligibility8 No No
Montana No ($3,000) No ($15,000) Yes Aligned to TANF child care assistance rules No Yes
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Data Notes & Sources

  1. Donna Cohen Ross and Caryn Marks. 2009. Challenges of Providing Health Coverage of Children and Parents in a Recession: A 50-State Update on Eligibility Rules, Enrollment and Renewal Procedures, and Cost-Sharing Practices in Medicaid and SCHIP in 2009, Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. http://www.kff.org (accessed February 16, 2009).
  2. Maine's asset rules exempt $12,000 in certain savings, including retirement savings, for a household of 2 or more.
  3. Rule applies to SCHIP-funded Medicaid expansions, where applicable.

    Donna Cohen Ross and Caryn Marks. 2009. Challenges of Providing Health Coverage of Children and Parents in a Recession: A 50-State Update on Eligibility Rules, Enrollment and Renewal Procedures, and Cost-Sharing Practices in Medicaid and SCHIP in 2009, Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. http://www.kff.org (accessed February 16, 2009).
  4. Children in families with income above 150 percent of the federal poverty line are subject to a $250,000 "net worth" test.
  5. Utah counts assets in determining Medicaid eligibility for children over the age of six.
  6. An asset test applies to families with incomes above 150 percent of the poverty level.
  7. Households in which all members receive TANF cash assistance or SSI benefits do not have to meet gross income or asset eligibility criteria. Most states also waive these criteria for recipients of certain other benefits; some states waive these criteria for nearly all applicants.

    Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "States' Vehicle Asset Policies in the Food Stamp Program," November 2006.
  8. Virtually all food stamp households in the state are authorized to receive a TANF-funded benefit that makes them categorically eligible for food stamps and thus exempt from the gross income and asset tests.
  9. Federal food stamp rules exclude the first $4,650 in fair market value of 1 vehicle per adult household member. Vehicles that meet certain criteria are excluded entirely.
  10. Gretchen Rowe with Jeffrey Versteeg, The Welfare Rules Databook: State Policies as of July 2005, Assessing the New Federalism, The Urban Institute, 2006.
  11. Gretchen Rowe with Jeffrey Versteeg, The Welfare Rules Databook: State Policies as of July 2003, Assessing the New Federalism, The Urban Institute, 2005.
  12. Ohio has eliminated the asset test.