Medical Assistance Under the TEFRA Option for Children With Disabilities
Minnesota describes the TEFRA option as helping children with disabilities qualify for Medical Assistance even when family income is too high, because only the child income is counted.
Contact this resource
Medical Assistance Under the TEFRA Option for Children With Disabilities
Last checked August 7, 2026
Summary
Summary
In one sentence
Minnesota describes the TEFRA option as helping children with disabilities qualify for Medical Assistance even when family income is too high, because only the child income is counted. The child must be under 19, live with a parent, be certified disabled by Social Security or the State Medical Review Team, and need an institutional level of care to stay at home.
A field that is missing means we have not confirmed it — never that the answer is no.
Do this next
Your next step
Apply through MNsure or your county or tribal office, and ask specifically about Medical Assistance under the TEFRA option.
Open the official websiteOfficial resources
What we have confirmed
Only fields this listing has published appear here. A missing field means we have not confirmed it, never that the answer is no.
- Category
- Insurance program
What this means for your family
Written from the official pages cited at the bottom of this page. Where the official page is silent, so are we.
- What is this?
- A Medical Assistance eligibility pathway for children with disabilities that counts only the child income, not the family income.
- Why does it matter?
- This is often the door to Medicaid for working families who were told they earn too much.
- What should I do next?
- Apply through MNsure or your county or tribal office, and ask specifically about Medical Assistance under the TEFRA option.
- How does this connect to the rest of the manual?
- Eligibility runs through the State Medical Review Team. Effective July 1, 2023 Minnesota states parents are no longer assessed a parental fee for children enrolled under the TEFRA option.
Who it is for, as published
- Would not otherwise be eligible for Medical Assistance if parental income were counted
- Under age 19
- Lives with at least one biological, adoptive or step parent
- Certified disabled by the Social Security Administration or the State Medical Review Team
- Determined by the State Medical Review Team to need an institutional level of care to remain at home
What it can cover, as published
- The same coverage as Medical Assistance, such as doctor visits, prescriptions and hospital stays
- Community First Services and Supports
- Who runs it
- Minnesota Department of Human Services
- Where you apply
- MNsure, or your county or tribal office
Where this comes from
The publisher's own page is always more current than our summary of it. Open it before you act.
Claim this listing, or tell us it is wrong
Organizations can claim their listing, submit an update, or flag an error. Every request goes to our editorial team with your note attached.
About our research
SpecialNeeds.org uses AI-assisted research and review tools to help find, organize, cross-check and update resources. We link to original sources whenever possible. Information can change, and our research may be incomplete or contain errors.
SpecialNeeds.org is not a government agency, medical provider, law firm, insurer, school district or benefits administrator.
Please confirm eligibility, deadlines, costs, availability and other important details directly with the organization or official source before making decisions.
See something wrong or missing? Report a correction or suggest a resource.