Updated September 5, 2026. Quick answer: Michigan does not test institutional Medicaid income against 300% of the SSI federal benefit rate at all. It tests net income against the lower “Group 2” needs standard used for its aged, blind, and disabled category, with a mandatory medically-needy spend-down for any excess.
The Group 2 standard, not a percentage of SSI
Michigan’s Bridges Eligibility Manual (BEM 166, “Group 2 Aged, Blind and Disabled”) sets income eligibility for nursing-facility (“L/H”) Medicaid against the Group 2 needs standard defined in BEM 544, a fixed protected-income figure rather than a multiple of the SSI federal benefit rate that most other states use.
One limit is not the whole picture
An eligibility figure tells you where a line sits, not what to do about it, and an adviser can weigh income, savings and a spouse’s needs together before anything is moved.
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Spend-down for everyone over the line
If net income exceeds the Group 2 standard, Michigan’s own manual routes the applicant to BEM 545’s medically-needy spend-down process rather than denying eligibility outright, with the post-eligibility patient-pay amount then computed separately under BEM 546. No hard income ceiling exists at any point in this chain.
| Citation | Michigan Bridges Eligibility Manual, BEM 166 (BPB 2017-008, eff. 4-1-2017) |
| What it says | “MA is available to a person who is aged (65 or older), blind or disabled… If the month being tested is an L/H month and eligibility exists, go to BEM 546 to determine the post-eligibility patient-pay amount… Income Eligibility: Income eligibility exists when net income does not exceed the Group 2 needs in BEM 544… If the net income exceeds Group 2 needs, MA eligibility is still possible per BEM 545.” |
This page covers the income eligibility figure itself. How a state handles income above that figure (a Qualified Income Trust, a medically needy spend-down, or something else) is covered on Michigan’s excess income mechanism page.
Every citation on this page was read directly from the state’s own Medicaid agency, administrative code, or official eligibility manual this session. General information, not legal or financial advice; a figure this specific can change with a budget cycle or a rule amendment, and a county or state caseworker has the final say on any individual application.