On November 15, 2024, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services posted the 2025 spousal impoverishment standards. These are the standards used to determine how the amount of income and resources that can be diverted to or retained by a Community Spouse. They also tell us the SSI rate and the Medicaid income cap.
In 2025, the monthly SSI rate is $967. This is also the Georgia personal needs allowance for an individual who receives home health Medicaid.
The income cap is $2,901. This means an individual with gross income that exceeds the cap must use a Qualified Income Trust.
The minimum spousal income allowance is $2,555 and the maximum is $3,948. Georgia uses the maximum, so a Community Spouse with gross income of less than that amount is entitled to an income diversion from the Community Spouse to get him or her up to that figure.
The minimum resource standard is $31,584 and the maximum is $157,920. Georgia uses the maximum, so a Community Spouse is entitled to keep up to $157,920 in countable resources before spend-down becomes an issue.
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