Some government employees only make payroll contributions towards the Medicare portion of the Federal Insurance Contribution Act (FICA). These employee earn quarters of coverage and are insured for medicare purposes only but are not insured for Title II Social Security Disability benefits.
Former public employees who are disabled and did not pay regular FICA taxes might still be able to make a claim for Medicare benefits if they paid their contributions towards the medicare portion. These types of claims are generally called MQGE Claims or "Medicare Qualified Employment Claims". However, since these public employees did not contribute towards Social Security, they will not be eligible for retirement, widow(er) or disability benefits.
Like regular SSDI claims, these claims also have a date of last insured, an equivalent five month waiting period and a 24 month Medicare eligibility period. Beneficiaries are entitled to a retroactive pay of 12 months. If the disabled former public employee meets the income and resource guidelines, he or she might also be eligible for SSI benefits.
