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MEDICAL SERVICES POLICY MANUAL, SECTION E

E 523 Personal Property Exclusions

failures or other major malfunctions. Police reports or insurance documents may be accepted as proof of the current condition of a vehicle if it has been wrecked. Other proof may be accepted if it is conclusive in the caseworker’s judgment. If the value of the auto is not material to the eligibility determination (i.e., it is excluded or its countable resource value does not affect eligibility when combined with other countable resources), no further determination of exact value is necessary. The value of an unexcluded automobile of obvious worth such as a Jaguar, Mercedes- Benz, Rolls Royce, Cadillac, Lincoln, Corvette, antique auto, or customized auto will be determined even when it is too old to be listed on kbb.com or nada.com. The value of these vehicles may be verified by a search on collectorcarmarket.com or by the use of the tax assessment method or by contact with a knowledgeable source. Knowledgeable sources include: automobile dealers, truck dealers or auto insurance companies. The tax assessment method of determining value consists of multiplying the county personal property tax assessment value of the vehicle by five. EXAMPLE: The county personal property tax value of a 1973 Lincoln Town Car is $200. Multiply $200 by five to obtain the current resource value of the vehicle. ($200 X 5 = $1,000) The value of the vehicle is $1,000. This amount will be regarded as a resource to the individual if the vehicle cannot be excluded.

When contacting a knowledgeable source, an estimate of the wholesale value will be requested. In all value determinations, it is essential to obtain a complete and accurate description of the vehicle being evaluated. Document the case narrative as to determined values and the means used to make the value determinations (including the name and address of dealers used in knowledgeable source contact). All documentation used to determine the value of the vehicle must be scanned and indexed in the electronic case file.

Applicant Disagrees with Determined Value - If the applicant disagrees with the value determined for a non-excluded automobile which is material to the case (affects eligibility), he will be afforded the opportunity to provide two knowledgeable source statements to establish a different value. These appraisals will be at the applicant’s own expense. It should be explained to the applicant that the agency is not bound to honor the appraisals; however, the agency will recheck any provided appraisals for accuracy and, if they are accurate, establish a value based on the appraisals.