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MEDICAL SERVICES POLICY MANUAL, SECTION E

E 522 Determining Value of Personal Property

account, who made deposits to and withdrawals from the account, how withdrawals were spent, etc.; b. Corroborating written statements from the other account holders; and

c. Proof of the change in the account designation removing the individual’s name from the account (if he has no ownership), or restricting his access to the funds in the account. The caseworker will provide assistance in obtaining the evidence only when the individual is unable to do so.

If the co-holder of a joint account is incapacitated or a minor, it will not be necessary to obtain a corroborating statement from that individual. When this occurs, obtain a corroborating statement from a third party who has knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the establishment of the joint account. If there is no third party, make the rebuttal determination without a corroborating statement. The caseworker will document in the electronic case record an explanation as to why no corroborating statement was obtained. A successful rebuttal will result in a finding that supports the individual’s allegation regarding ownership of the funds (if any). If the individual elects not to rebut the presumption, obtain a written statement from the individual which documents his election.

If the individual elects not to rebut, does not provide a rebuttal within the allotted time, or does not provide all of the required evidence, the presumed ownership interest will be used in his eligibility determination. When the individual is a joint account holder with an ineligible individual, any interest payments or deposits made to the account will be considered unearned income in his or her eligibility determination unless the deposit meets the income disregards listed in MS E-450. When the individual is a joint account holder with an eligible individual, any interest payments will be divided equally among the holders but deposits by one will not be considered income to the other. If the individual submits all required evidence within the allotted time, determine his or her ownership interest (if any) and document the findings in the electronic case record. The actual ownership interest determined by the rebuttal will be used in the eligibility determination. When the individual has successfully rebutted ownership of all or a portion of the funds in a joint account, deposits made by the other holder(s) will not be counted as income and interest payments will be counted in proportion to his or her ownership interest, if any. If the value of a joint account will cause the individual to be ineligible because he or she