Poverty Guidelines

To be eligible for a TPD discharge, a licensed physician must certify that a borrower applying for a discharge is unable to work and earn money because of an injury or illness that is expected to continue indefinitely or result in death. However, after the Department approves a borrower's discharge application and medical review, the borrower may be in a situation where he or she receives employment earnings. In such cases, the borrower's annual earnings must not exceed the Poverty Guidelines (also referred to as the "poverty line" in the discharge application) designation for a family of two in the borrower's state of residence in order for the borrower to remain eligible for a TPD discharge.

The following table lists the Poverty Guidelines for 2009, as put forth by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

Persons in Family or Household	48 Contiguous States and Washington, D.C.	Alaska	Hawaii
1	$10,830	$13,530	$12,460
2	$14,570	$18,210	$16,760
3	$18,310	$22,890	$21,060
4	$22,050	$27,570	$25,360
5	$25,790	$32,250	$29,660
6	$29,530	$36,930	$33,960
7	$33,270	$41,610	$38,260
8	$37,010	$46,290	$42,560
For each additional person, add...	$3,740	$4,680	$4,300

SOURCE: Federal Register, Vol. 74, No. 14, January 23, 2009, pp. 4199-4201

Complete details on Poverty Guidelines from 1996 to the present can be found at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Web page for Poverty Guidelines.