Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

Childhood Cancer Lantern
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Ohio program

Medicaid for a working teen (MBIWD)

Medicaid for a person 16 or older who has a disability and paid work. Parents' income does not count.

What it is

Medicaid for a person 16 or older who has a disability and paid work. Parents' income does not count.

Medicaid Buy-In for Workers with Disabilities is a separate route for a teen of 16 or older with paid work. Only the teen's own income and savings count, not yours. A disability review checks the medical rules.

Eligibility rules
  • The person must be at least 16 and younger than 65, have paid employment and meet Social Security's disability standard.
  • Only the individual's income and resources count. The income guideline is 250% of the poverty line for one person.
  • Acute leukemia meets the cited disability standard for at least 24 months from diagnosis or relapse.
  • The county counts the teen’s own income and countable savings, with special earned-income exclusions, rather than comparing gross pay alone with $3,325. Paid part-time work or self-employment can count when Ohio’s employment rules are met. The county must confirm the current indexed savings limit and disability determination for the teen.
  • The teen's own income must be under about $3,325 a month (2026) after Ohio ignores the first $20,000 a year of their wages. The county also checks the teen's savings.
What you get
  • Full Medicaid, which can sit behind a family health plan.
  • No MBIWD premium. Ohio ended this charge on September 30, 2025.
What this covers
  • MBIWD can work alongside the family’s health plan. Ohio does not charge an MBIWD premium; any separate employer-plan premium is a different cost.
  • Ohio ended MBIWD premiums effective September 30, 2025. There is no MBIWD premium formula or monthly premium bill for 2026.
If you decide to apply
  1. You can ask the county Job and Family Services office about MBIWD through Ohio Benefits or 844-640-6446.
  2. Useful records include your teen's pay, employer details, accounts and diagnosis and treatment dates.

Ohio Benefits: 844-640-6446 · Official page ↗

After you apply
  • When a disability determination is needed, the usual decision standard is 90 days. An approval identifies the teen’s Medicaid coverage and effective date; MBIWD does not charge a premium.
Good to know

Paid work is required. Ohio WorkAbility is the separate program for people 65 and older.

Other details
  • The county checks the financial side; medical evidence supports the separate disability review.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“If my teen has paid work, would MBIWD help alongside our health plan? Could you help us check the work, disability, income and savings rules before deciding whether to pursue it?”

Why I’m asking: I want to understand the coverage options that use my teen's own finances.

More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules

Who does what

The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.

You

Apply on Ohio Benefits, report only your teen's own income and accounts, and give the employer's name.

Your social worker

The social worker helps confirm the disability evidence and the teen’s own paid-work income and resources.

The care team

Provides the diagnosis and treatment dates.

Who decides
The county job and family services office (JFS) decides the money side; a disability review decides the medical side.
Ask the agency
“My child is 16 or older, has a disability and a paid job. Can we apply for the Medicaid Buy-In for Workers with Disabilities, counting only my child's income?”

How to apply

First step: Call 844-640-6446 or apply on Ohio Benefits and ask for MBIWD by name, listing only your teen's own income.

  1. If your teen has any paid work, ask the county JFS for MBIWD by name.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Apply on Ohio Benefits or call 844-640-6446 and ask for the Medicaid Buy-In for Workers with Disabilities

What to gather

  • Teen's pay stubs and accounts
  • Diagnosis and treatment dates

How long: Ohio has 90 days to decide the disability part.

What a yes looks like

A Medicaid approval identifying the teen’s coverage and effective date, with no MBIWD premium.

What a no looks like, and the next move

Ask which part failed: the work, the income limit or the disability finding. Ask for a state hearing (an appeal) by the date on the notice.

Watch out

  • Paid work is required, not just age and diagnosis.
  • Ohio WorkAbility is the program for people 65 and older; ask for MBIWD by name.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 9, 2026.

What it is worth

Full Medicaid for a working teen 16 or older. Only the teen's income ($3,325 a month in 2026, which is 250% of the poverty line) and savings count.

  • $16 — Minimum age
  • $3,325/month — Individual income guideline (250% FPL for one person)

Covers: Full Ohio Medicaid

What it costs the family: No MBIWD premium from September 30, 2025 (ORC 5163.094). A separate employer-plan premium is a different cost.

The eligibility facts, as published

Age
16 to under 65
Work
the individual must be employed (paid work)
Disability
SSA standard (acute leukemia meets it for 24 months from diagnosis or relapse)
Income
Only the individual’s countable income, with applicable disability-income exclusions and the additional $20,000 annual earned-income disregard under ORC 5163.093. The March 1, 2026 250% guideline is $3,325 monthly, not a gross-pay cap.
Resources
Only the individual’s countable resources; the county confirms the current indexed 2026 ceiling.

Decisions this site cannot make: County JFS financial eligibility · Disability determination

Expect friction on: A teen in treatment rarely has paid work

The trap: Paid work and a disability determination are required. Ohio WorkAbility is a different program for people 65 and older. MBIWD has no premium from September 30, 2025.

Where I read this

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