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Count Minnesota MFIP RSDI only above the federal SSI maximum (Minn. Stat. 256P.06, subd. 3(2)(xvi)) #10387

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Description

@PavelMakarchuk

Problem

Minnesota MFIP counts the full Social Security (RSDI) payment as unearned income. Since September 1, 2024, Minn. Stat. 256P.06, subd. 3(2)(xvi) counts, for chapter 142G (MFIP) and chapter 142E (CCAP), only the RSDI amount above the federal maximum SSI payment.

Law

Minn. Stat. 256P.06, subd. 3(2)(xvi) (2025 text):

for the purposes of programs under chapters 142E and 142G, the amount of retirement, survivors, and disability insurance payments that exceeds the applicable monthly federal maximum Supplemental Security Income payments.

  • History. Laws 2023, ch. 70, art. 10, s. 79 added the item, naming chapters 119B and 256J. It is effective September 1, 2024. Item (viii) now counts full RSDI only for chapters 256D and 256I.
  • Agency guidance. Combined Manual 0017.15.45 (issue date 11/2024), MFIP and DWP: "For each client who receives RSDI, count only the gross RSDI amount that exceeds the SSI standard amount for a household of 1 as unearned income." Its 09/2024 revision note says the change "applies to MFIP, DWP, and CCAP."
  • Rate. The monthly individual SSI federal benefit rate is in gov.ssa.ssi.amount.individual ($967 in 2025, $994 in 2026).

Example (2026)

policyengine_us/tests/policy/baseline/gov/states/mn/dcyf/mfip/mn_mfip_gross_unearned_income.yaml Case 2 has $3,600 a year of social_security ($300 a month), $1,200 of child support and $600 of financial assistance.

  • Now: 300 + 100 + 50 = $450 a month.
  • Under (xvi): max(300 − 994, 0) = 0, so 0 + 100 + 50 = $150 a month.
  • The federal tanf_gross_unearned_income (450 in that case) is a separate baseline and does not change.

Suggested fix

  1. Move the per-person offset into a program-neutral variable for the 256P.06 rule, so that CCAP and MFIP share one formula. For example, rename mn_ccap_countable_rsdi after Count Minnesota CCAP RSDI only above the federal SSI maximum #10333 merges.
  2. Put that variable in place of social_security in the MFIP unearned list.
  3. Keep the start date: the MFIP list starts in 2010, so the offset needs a parameter or start date for September 1, 2024. Before that date, MFIP counted gross RSDI.
  4. Update the MFIP expectations that include RSDI, with hand-computed values, and add a case on each side of the 2024-09-01 start date.
  5. Check policyengine_us/tests/policy/baseline/partners/** for MFIP households with Social Security. Edits there need Ziming Hua's approval under CLAUDE.md.

Axiom

TheAxiomFoundation/rulespec-us#1869 asks for item (xvi) for both chapter 142E and chapter 142G, so the MFIP PR can cite it.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

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