What it is
ABD Medicaid provides primary and acute care coverage — plus long-term care benefits — for people who are 65 or older, legally blind, or disabled as determined by the Social Security Administration.
Working people with disabilities may also qualify through the Medicaid Buy-In for Workers with Disabilities, which lets you keep coverage while earning.
Applications go through the Specialized Medicaid Benefit Center (SMBC) within Cuyahoga County’s Department of Employment and Family Services — a different office, with different rules, than regular Medicaid.
How Gesher helps
ABD Medicaid has the most complicated rules of any Medicaid category — income and asset tests, spend-down provisions, waiver interactions. This is exactly the kind of application you shouldn’t do alone; our case managers work these cases regularly and coordinate with the SMBC directly.