The federally set level of income that an individual or family can earn below which it is recognized that they can not afford necessary services. The FPL is used in eligibility criteria of many programs, including Extra Help and Medicaid. The FPL changes every year and varies depending on the number of people in your household. It is higher in Alaska and Hawaii.
See "poverty guidelines."
Federal income guidelines based on family size that are used to determine financial eligibility for public assistance programs such as Medi-Cal.
A standard that is used to determine economic need, set by the Department of Health and Human Services. Eligibility for most public benefit programs are tied to percentages of the federal poverty level. In 2005, the FPL for a family of four is $19,350. More Info
Income guidelines established annually by the Federal government. Public assistance programs usually define income limits in relation to FPL or the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) level. Also see supplemental security income.
The federal government's working definition of poverty that is used as the reference point for the income standard for Medicaid eligibility for certain categories of beneficiaries. Adjusted annually for inflation and published by the Department of Health and Human Services in the form of Poverty Guidelines, the FPL in 2000 is $14,150 for a family of 3 in the mainland U.S., $17,690 in Alaska, and $16,270 in Hawaii.
Each year the federal government determines the minimum amount of income necessary to live for various family sizes. MassHealth uses this determination to create the income brackets for the different insurance programs it has. For example, some programs cover families that are 133% of the Federal Poverty Level and some programs cover children whose families are at 200% of the FPL.
The government's definition of poverty that is used to determine benefit levels for many low-income assistance programs, such as Medicaid, along with eligibility for certain Medicare Part D subsidies for low-income beneficiaries. The Census Bureau updates FPL each year. FPL in calendar year 2005 is $9,570 for a single person and $12,830 for a family of two in the contiguous United States.
Refer to FPL for definition. See: Standards - Medical Assistance
A table of income amounts used to determine financial eligibility for federal and state programs. Each year, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issues the Federal Poverty Guidelines in the Federal Register.
The Federal Poverty Level was established to help government agencies determine eligibility levels for public assistance programs such as Medicaid. FPL is represented in this resource as poverty thresholds as opposed to the slightly different poverty guidelines. The FPL for a family of three in 2004 was $15,670 for 48 contiguous states and District of Columbia.
The FPL serves as one of the indicators for determining eligibility in a wide variety of federal and state programs.