Starting January 1, 2015, the Community Spouse Resource Allowance (CSRA) for the community spouse of a married Medicaid applicant is being raised to $119,220 from $117,240.00. This is the amount of countable available resources that the community spouse can have as of the date they want eligibility for their applicant-spouse (the home and one car are still considered non-countable). Does that mean that every excess dollar has to be “spent down” on nursing home care? Hardly. If you have moved your loved one to a nursing home and are being steered to someone such as a Medicaid application preparer who tells you that this is what’s necessary before an application can be filed, you should seriously consider getting personalized legal advice about your options.
The $19,220 is the CSRA maximum The “floor” under the CSRA is $23,844, so if the assets are quite limited, the community spouse does not have to “spend down” below this amount.
The Income Cap Limit which triggers the need to establish a Qualified Income trust (QIT) in New Jersey for the Medicaid applicant (see my prior posts) will be $2,199 gross monthly income.
The community spouse is entitled to have a Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance for income support. This amount was raised on 7-1-2014 and remains in effect. The minimum is $1,966.25 and the maximum is $2,980.50. Several variables play into this calculation. Then the community spouse’s available income is applied first, and if there is a shortfall, a deduction is made from the applicant-spouse’s income to allocate some income to the community spouse. There are special rules in cases where the combined incomes are below the MMMNA. Seek legal advice at the earliest possible date before the assets are spent down, to protect your interests
Call for an appointment about Medicaid eligibility and applications … 732-382-6070