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ALIEN’S SPONSOR’S RESOURCES: An alien sponsor and their spouse’s income and resources are deemed to the sponsored alien (refugees do not have sponsors) until such time as the alien: 1. Achieves U.S. citizenship through naturalization, or 2. Has worked 40 qualifying quarters. ANNUITIES: All commercial and private annuities, including single premium life endowment policies must be evaluated to determine their availability for the household’s support and maintenance and whether the annuity must be assigned to Montana Medicaid prior to eligibility determination. Annuity contracts such as Civil Service pensions and Railroad Retirement Benefit pensions use the term ‘annuity’ but are not the type of annuities that must be reviewed under resource policy; they are reviewed under income policy. NOTE: Annuity ownership, accessibility and equity value must be evaluated. Never assume an annuity is inaccessible (see CMA 401-1 Resource Ownership, Accessibility and Equity Value). Determine annuity value by multiplying the total annual payments by the remaining annuity period on the date value is determined. When the annuity period is based on an annuitant’s lifetime, multiply the annual payment by the annuitant’s life expectancy (ABD 016 Life Expectancy Table). For a “period certain” annuity, multiply the annual payments by the lessor of the annuitant’s life expectancy, or the period certain. The client can rebut the calculated value by providing verified purchase offers from sources in the legitimate business of buying annuities. A growing secondary annuity market exists; even non-assignable annuities can be sold. An annuity company’s letter stating an annuity is valueless is only the company’s statement of contractual obligations regarding cash value, and has no bearing on true market value. To prove there is no market value/inaccessibility, two refusals on the secondary market are required. The client cannot purchase or pay for a refusal to meet this requirement. Annuities owned by a community spouse, ineligible spouse or deemed parent are always a countable resource. The only means to exclude these annuities is if the annuity is period certain and the term has expired. Annuities a Medicaid client purchased or converted on or after February 8, 2006, must be changed to name the Montana Medicaid program as the irrevocable residual beneficiary before Medicaid is approved or redetermined. Beneficiaries must be listed in the following order: 1. Community spouse 2. Minor child 3. Blind/disabled adult child 4. Montana Medicaid program