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must be counted if they are available for the a/b’s use. This principle is known as financial responsibility. This section describes who is financially responsible when determining Medicaid eligibility and how their resources are counted. See IV below for information on determining availability of resources. A. Applicant/Beneficiary Always count the a/b’s available resources in determining eligibility. If the a/b does not have a spouse or parent (a/b under age 18) compare total countable resources to the resource limit for one person. B. Financial Responsibility - Spouse for Spouse A spouse is financially responsible for the a/b when they live together. Use the following procedures to determine whose resources to count and which resource limit to use when an a/b has a spouse: 1. Private Living Arrangement - Legal Spouses Live Together Compare the total countable resources of the couple to the resource limit for 2 persons unless one of them receives Work First Family Assistance (including Transitional Medicaid benefits), SSI or Medicaid under the Community Alternatives Program (CAP). Then use the resource limit for one. Refer to MA-2250, Income. 2. Private Living Arrangement - Legal Spouses Live Apart Compare total countable resources of the a/b to the resource limit for one person. Evaluate any jointly owned resources for availability as specified in IV.B. 3. CAP Beneficiary(s) a. One Spouse is CAP Deduct the Community Spouse Resource Amount (CSRA) from the total combined countable resources of the couple. Compare the remainder to the resource limit for one. See MA-2231, Community Spouse Resource Protection, for CSRA. b. Both Spouses are CAP Compare the total countable resources of each spouse to the resource limit for one. If resources are owned jointly, count 50% for each spouse. 4. Long Term Care - One Spouse is Institutionalized (Applies whether or not the institutionalized spouse is applying for help with long term care.) Refer to MA-2231 Community Spouse Resource Protection, for procedures 10