The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has received numerous inquiries from public housing agencies (PHAs), owners and managers of HUD-assisted properties, families receiving HUD rental assistance, and other stakeholders about the interactions between certain benefits provided under Medicare Part C, commonly known as “Medicare Advantage (MA),” and HUD rental assistance programs. Specifically, HUD has been asked whether the use of certain benefits that are part of a MA Plan that may not be obviously medical and/or health expenses affects the income calculations used to determine a family member’s or individual’s eligibility and rent subsidy amounts for public or federally subsidized housing governed by HUD regulations.

This Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document specifically addresses enrollees’ use of certain benefits offered by MA plans and clarifies when the use of supplemental benefits will be included in the determination of income pursuant to federal regulations for determining eligibility and rent-subsidy provided to the tenant.