Section 1619(b) provides Medicaid While Working protection only for the working individual.
Therefore, a non-working SSI eligible spouse has no protection under 1619(b) and loses
Medicaid when the earned income of their SSI spouse causes ineligibility for a 1611
or 1619(a) payment.
However, 1619(b) provides Medicaid protection when a working individual’s total countable
income, both earned and unearned (including deemed income), is too high for a cash
payment. Therefore, both members of an SSI couple will be eligible for Medicaid if
they are both working and their total combined income causes ineligibility for payment,
even if individually, each person’s earned income wouldn’t be enough to trigger non-payment
status.