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2. Use the $1,500 burial exclusion to reduce countable resources when the a/b or financially responsible person has excess liquid assets in: • A revocable burial contract for his burial expenses, • Cash surrender value of life insurance on his own life, • Cash/bank accounts/certificates of deposit, or • Stocks and bonds. • Revocable burial annuities. 3. Do not use the burial exclusion if the a/b or financially responsible spouse/parent have irrevocable burial arrangements valued at $1,500 or more. Irrevocable contracts are not a countable resource but they “use up” the burial exclusion for an individual. 4. If excluding $1,500 (for each financially responsible person) of countable assets listed above is sufficient to reduce countable resources to the limit for the budget unit: a. Inform the a/b that liquid assets (except life insurance) designated as a burial asset cannot be excluded if commingled (held in the same account) with non-burial assets. Request proof that the assets have been separated. See MA-2303, Verification Requirements for Applications, and MA-2304, Processing the Application, for time frames and requirements. b. When burial assets are not commingled, exclude $1,500 of the value of liquid assets for the a/b and each financially responsible spouse/parent’s burial expenses. c. Begin the burial exclusion with any month assistance is requested, including the retroactive period. 5. Burial exclusion applies to all financially responsible individuals, including: a. An MAABD/MQB/MWD applicant/beneficiary of any age. b. A legal spouse of the MAABD/MQB/MWD applicant/beneficiary, including the community spouse of the institutionalized a/b. c. Parents of the MAABD applicant/beneficiary, if the a/b has never been married and is under age 18. 6. If the burial exclusion ($1,500 of liquid assets per budget unit member) does not reduce resources below the allowable resource limit, resources must be reduced within the 45/90 day standard processing time for applications. The individual is not eligible until the date the resources are reduced below the allowable resource limit. 98