MED-Connect Connecticut: Medicaid for Working Adults with Disabilities

The Problem MED-Connect Solves

Standard HUSKY C Medicaid in Connecticut — the program most adults with disabilities rely on — imposes a $1,600 asset limit and a net income ceiling of roughly $851 per month. For a young adult who wants to work even part-time, those limits create a financial cage: earn a few hundred dollars too much and you risk losing the healthcare coverage that makes working possible in the first place.

MED-Connect (officially Medicaid for Employees with Disabilities) breaks that cycle. It's a separate Medicaid eligibility category administered by the Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS) that lets working adults with disabilities earn substantially more while keeping full Medicaid coverage, including all the services available under HUSKY C.

Eligibility and Current Limits

As of July 1, 2026, MED-Connect operates under these parameters:

• Annual earned-income limit: $95,000
• Individual asset limit: $30,000
• Married couple asset limit: $45,000
• Disability requirement: Must meet SSA's definition of disability (receiving SSI or SSDI satisfies this; otherwise, DSS conducts its own medical review)
• Employment requirement: Must be engaged in paid work — including part-time, self-employment, gig work, or supported employment

Compare that to standard HUSKY C's $1,600 asset limit and you can see why MED-Connect is transformative for anyone who can work even a few hours per week.

Important policy note: Public Act 24-81 mandated that MED-Connect income and asset limits increase annually on July 1 and that the asset test must be eliminated entirely by July 1, 2029. However, budget legislation (HB 5040/SB 1251) sought to freeze limits at the April 2025 level ($85,000 income, $20,000 assets). The conservative planning approach is to use $85,000 and $20,000 as safe planning floors until final reconciliation is published — but the statutory schedule calls for $95,000 and $30,000 as of July 2026.

How to Enroll

MED-Connect enrollment happens through DSS, and the process differs depending on where the young adult is starting from:

Already on HUSKY C and starting work: Contact DSS or use the ConneCT portal to request a transfer from HUSKY C to MED-Connect. This isn't automatic — DSS doesn't monitor your employment status and shift your category on its own. You must proactively request the change before your earnings push you over HUSKY C's income limit, or you'll face a coverage gap.

New applicant with no current Medicaid: Apply through the standard W-1E benefits application submitted to the DSS scanning center. Identify MED-Connect as the requested coverage category. You'll need to provide proof of employment (pay stubs, employer letter, or self-employment documentation) alongside the standard medical evidence of disability.

Key documentation for the application:

• Proof of disability (SSI/SSDI award letter, or medical records if neither applies)
• Proof of earned income (pay stubs, tax return, or letter from employer)
• Asset documentation (bank statements, investment accounts)
• Connecticut residency verification

Why MED-Connect Matters for Transition-Age Adults

For families navigating the age-18 transition, MED-Connect represents the most powerful long-term strategy in Connecticut's benefits landscape. Here's the scenario that plays out repeatedly:

A young adult receives SSI and HUSKY C. They start a supported employment program through the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services (BRS) or a DDS day program. They begin earning $400-$800 per month. Under standard HUSKY C, even modest earnings combined with their SSI payment can trigger an income review. Under MED-Connect, those earnings are protected up to an entirely different ceiling.

The practical effect: the young adult can say yes to every employment opportunity without their family running benefit calculations before each paycheck.

MED-Connect also interacts favorably with ABLE accounts. Because MED-Connect's asset limit is $30,000 (versus HUSKY C's $1,600), a working young adult can hold both an ABLE account balance and additional savings without jeopardizing coverage. This combination — MED-Connect plus an ABLE account — creates a genuine path to financial independence that simply doesn't exist under HUSKY C alone.

MED-Connect vs. Section 1619(b)

Families sometimes confuse MED-Connect with Section 1619(b), the federal Medicaid continuation provision for SSI recipients who work. They serve different populations:

Section 1619(b): A federal protection that continues Medicaid after SSI cash payments stop due to earnings. It's automatic — no separate application required — but it only applies to people who were receiving SSI and whose benefits were reduced to zero by work income. The income threshold varies by state; Connecticut's threshold is among the higher ones nationally.

MED-Connect: A state Medicaid category that anyone with a qualifying disability and any level of employment can apply for, regardless of whether they ever received SSI. It's broader in scope and more generous in limits, but requires an affirmative application.

The two aren't mutually exclusive. A young adult might start under 1619(b) protection when their SSI cash zeroes out, then formally enroll in MED-Connect for the higher asset limits and the certainty of a dedicated eligibility category rather than relying on a federal calculation that few DSS caseworkers fully understand.

The SSI Work Incentive Stack

MED-Connect is one piece of a larger set of work incentives that Connecticut families should understand together:

• SSI earned-income disregard: SSA applies the $20 general exclusion and the $65 earned-income exclusion, then counts half of the remainder when calculating SSI. A young adult earning $500/month loses $207.50 in SSI before other exclusions — they're still ahead by $292.50.
• Student Earned-Income Exclusion (SEIE): For beneficiaries under 22 regularly attending school, SSA excludes up to $2,410/month (up to $9,730/year) in earned income before applying the standard disregard. This is enormous — a student could earn $2,400/month with virtually no SSI reduction.
• Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWEs): Costs directly attributable to the disability that are necessary for work (job coaching, specialized transportation, medication) are subtracted from countable earnings.
• Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS): Lets you set aside income and resources toward a specific work goal without counting them for SSI purposes.

The Connecticut SSI at 18 & Adult Disability Benefits Guide includes a financial worksheet that models how these incentives stack together for different employment scenarios — from a few hours of supported employment to full-time competitive work.

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