Final answer:
The poverty line is based solely on cash income and does not account for non-cash government assistance such as Medicaid, food aid, or federal housing assistance.
Step-by-step explanation:
The official governmental definition of poverty does indeed not include non-cash benefits provided by the government. This means that in-kind assistance such as Medicaid (healthcare for low-income individuals and families), food aid, and federal housing assistance are not counted towards the poverty line, which is based solely on cash income according to the United States poverty measure. As a result, the poverty line calculations do not reflect the full array of resources available to low-income individuals and families.