The only category for Medical Assistance (MA) that college students are not eligible for is the PD category. A full-time student is eligible for PD only if he or she participated within the past five years in TANF Cash Assistance.
55 Pa. Code § 141.61(a)(1)(xiii)
Exception: Schools that grant specialized associate degrees in business or technology (ASB or AST) are trade schools and are not colleges or universities. Do not confuse this with the Associate Degree that colleges or universities offer. A student at a trade school is eligible to receive PD if he or she meets all the other requirements.
If the CAO cannot determine if an institution is a college or university or a trade school, the CAO should contact the area manager. If the institution is located out of state, the individual must give information that helps the CAO decide which type of school it is.
In some cases, an individual may be enrolled in a training program at a college or university that provides vocational or technical skills that can lead directly to a job. These are considered general education programs and not college courses. A student enrolled in a training program who meets all other requirements is eligible for PD if the training program:
Offers vocational or technical training leading directly to employment or basic remedial skills leading to a GED necessary for employment;
Can be completed within 12 months from when the individual enrolls; and
Is sponsored by a college or university or by a federal, state, or local government employment-training program, such as the WIA or Customized Job Training (CJT).
Case workers should consider a student’s status when determining eligibility for MAGI or TC for a specified relative of an 18 year-old child. See Chapter 327, Specified Relatives.
Updated September 19, 2018, Replacing May 28, 2015