From DC is Justice in Aging’s weekly roundup of national news and resources about issues impacting older adults. To receive From DC in your inbox as soon as its published, sign up for our mailing list.
Here’s what we’re watching in Washington:
CMS Releases 2025 Financial Eligibility Standards for Medicaid SSI, Spousal Impoverishment, Medicare Savings Programs, and LIS
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published updated 2025 Medicaid financial eligibility standards for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and spousal impoverishment protections, as well as Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs). As of January 1, 2025, the minimum resource limits for the three MSPs (QMB, SLMB, and QI) will be $9,660 (single) and $14,470 (married). (As a reminder, however, 19 states either have no MSP resource limits or limits above the federal minimum.)
In 2025, the 300% SSI income limit (special income rule) will be $2,901 per month, while the SSI resource limit remains at $2,000 for an individual. The bulletin also provides the 2025 minimum and maximum maintenance needs allowance, community spouse housing allowance, community spouse resource standards, and home equity limits.
CMS also published the 2025 Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) Resource and Cost-Sharing Limits. For 2025, the LIS resource limits are $16,100 (single) and $32,130 (married). Cost-sharing limits for people with LIS will range from $0 to $12.15 per medication. Some people may need to act now to keep their LIS in 2025.
Learn more in Justice in Aging’s fact sheet on LIS and Unwinding.
Flu Prevention Outreach Materials Available in Multiple Languages
CMS has released multilingual resources on the availability of free flu vaccines. CMS recently mailed flu prevention postcards in 14 languages to people dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid and enrolled in a Medicare-Medicaid plan (MMP).
These postcards and other materials are also available to download on CMS’s website in multiple languages including Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, and more.
New Justice in Aging Resources
- Fact Sheet: New CMS Nursing Facility Guidance Confirms Rights to Reject Medications and Avoid Improper Financial Liability (12/5)
- Fact Sheet: Advocating for Older Adults in 2025 – Health and Long-Term Services & Supports (12/4)
- Fact Sheet: Advocating for Older Adults in 2025 – Economic Security & Housing (12/4)
- Blog: Four Areas Where Older Adults Need Our Advocacy in 2025 (11/19)
- Justice in Aging’s Statement on the Election (11/7)
- Issue Brief: Nursing Home Debt Collection Practices Put Residents’ Family and Friends at Risk (11/1)
Upcoming Justice in Aging Webinars
New from the National Center on Law & Elder Rights (NCLER)
On December 18th, NCLER will host a training on Life Planning Strategies for Supporting the Needs of Older Adults and Their Families. Life planning tools include wills, trusts, health care proxies, living wills, transfer on death deeds, and other will-substitutes. These tools promote self-determination and ensure that the wishes of older adults are affirmed even after their death. This training will discuss how life planning services can benefit older adults and how to take a person-centered approach to traditional estate planning and preservation of generational wealth. Learn more and register for the training.
Read NCLER’s latest issue brief, How Can Legal Assistance Providers Better Meet the Needs of Tribal Elders? This issue brief focuses on Tribal elders, providing an overview of the most pressing and unique legal issues they face, as well as promising practices for reaching and serving them. Read the issue brief.
New & Updated Federal Resources
- CMS: Basic Requirements for Conducting Ex Parte Renewals of Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility
- USICH: Homelessness Prevention Series: Spotlight on Eviction Prevention
- CMS: FY FMAPs by State
- USDA: SNAP – Medicare Advantage Supplemental Benefits Excluded from Income
- HHS: Language Access Provisions of the Final Rule Implementing Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act