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although signing and returning the form is not a condition of eligibility. A signed HCS-120 on file meets this requirement. MEDICARE SAVINGS PROGRAM Effective January 1, 2010, the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) requires that premiums paid through any Medicare Savings Program (QMB, SLMB or QI) or the Qualified Disabled Working Individuals (QDWI) program on or after 1/1/2010 are excluded from estate recoveries. ESTATE RECOVERY EXEMPTION If probate is opened and Medicaid files a claim against the estate, Medicaid will not collect if the recipient has a surviving: 1. spouse; 2. child under age 21; or 3. child who is blind or disabled according to the Social Security Administration’s criteria. RECOVERABLE EXPENSES Recoveries from a deceased recipient’s estate will include all expenses paid by Medicaid, including but not limited to: 1. health insurance premiums (including Medicare); 2. hospital services; 3. prescription drug services; 4. nursing home services; 5. home and community based services. Note: Total Recovered amount cannot exceed the total expenses paid by Medicaid. EXCESS BURIAL FUNDS Anyone who holds funds in excess of $5,000 which were specifically designated to pay for the disposition of a decedent's remains shall, after paying for the disposition, pay all remaining funds to the Department of Public Health & Human Services within thirty (30) days after the disposition. CHECKING/SAVINGS ACCOUNT BALANCES Whether the checking or savings account balance(s) may be applied toward the deceased recipient’s funeral expenses is contingent on where the individual was residing at the time of death. 1. If the recipient was not residing in a residential medical facility, account balance(s) may be applied toward funeral expenses (subject to probate laws). 2. If the recipient was residing in a residential medical facility, account balance(s) may not be applied toward funeral expenses. NOTE: When a recipient resided in a residential medical facility at the time of death, checking and savings account balances are considered to have been ‘personal needs funds.’ PERSONAL NEEDS FUNDS