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MEDICAL SERVICES POLICY MANUAL, SECTION E

E 523 Personal Property Exclusions

E-523 Personal Property Exclusions MS Manual 09/01/26 Listed below are resource items that qualify for special exclusion from resources when specific conditions are met. Resource items which do not meet conditions for exclusion will be included with countable resources. When an excludable resource item has a value in excess of the exclusion limitation, the excess value will be included with countable resources.

1. Automobile The term “automobile”, as used here, applies to any vehicle which is used to provide necessary transportation, such as passenger cars, trucks, boats, and special vehicles (e.g., motorcycles, snowmobiles, animals, animal-drawn vehicles, etc.). One automobile per household is excluded regardless of value if it is used for transportation by the individual or a member of his household.  NOTE: The case worker will assume that the automobile is used for transportation unless there is evidence to the contrary.

When an individual or household owns more than one automobile, the exclusion will be applied in the manner most advantageous to the individual. The exclusion will be given to the automobile with the highest equity value. The equity value of any other automobile owned by the individual or member of the household is a resource when: a. It is owned by the individual or couple, and b. The automobile cannot be excluded under any other policy provision. When the above general exclusion has been given to an automobile, a second automobile can be excluded only if it is essential to the means of self-support of an individual or couple. If a second vehicle is normally used in the operation of a trade or business and if the first excluded vehicle cannot also fulfill the self-support function, then the second vehicle may be excluded from counting toward the resource limitation. The following vehicles do not meet the definition of an automobile and therefore the general exclusion cannot be applied:

a. A vehicle that has been “junked”; b. A vehicle that is used only as a recreational vehicle (e.g., a boat used on weekends for pleasure).