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526 (07/2026) Chapter 2:Eligibility • Section 10: Long-Term Care (LTC) services the couple. This sum or 4,066.50, whichever is less, is the maintenance needs allowance. For the purpose of this calculation, shelter expenses are the rent or home mortgage payment (principal and interest), taxes, insurance, required maintenance charges for a condominium or cooperative, and the full standard utility allowance (FUA) for the SNAP program. If an all-inclusive rate covers items that are not allowable shelter expenses, including meals or housekeeping in an assisted living facility, or the rate includes utilities, to the extent they can be distinguished, these items must be deducted from the all-inclusive rate to determine allowable shelter expenses. • Step B — Compare maintenance needs allowance with community spouse’s countable income. The countable income of the community spouse is subtracted from the maintenance needs allowance determined in step 1. The difference is the income allowance unless the allowance described in step 3 is greater. • Step C — If a spousal support order or exceptional circumstances resulting in significant financial distress require a greater income allowance than that calculated in step 2, the greater amount is the allowance. 2. The difference between: • The sum of gross countable income of the community spouse and the institutionalized spouse, and • One of the following applicable need standards:

Š $81.28 for an individual in a nursing facility or ICF-IID.

Š $90 for an individual who is eligible for VA benefits based on unreimbursed medical expenses. The $90 allowance is allowed only when the VA benefit has been reduced to $90.

Š $994 for community-based care (RES in SELG). Step 4. Determine what the couple’s current combined countable resources are when a resource assessment is requested or the institutionalized spouse applies for OSIPM. Use the procedure in step 1. Step 5. Subtract the CSRA from the couple’s current combined countable resources. The resources remaining are considered available to the institutionalized spouse. Step 6. Compare the remaining assets to the OSIPM resource limit for one person. If the remaining resources are at or below the standard, the institutionalized spouse is eligible for OSIPM. If the remaining resources are above the standard, the institutionalized spouse is not eligible for OSIPM until the value of the couple’s combined countable resources is reduced to the largest of the four amounts described in step 3. Once eligibility has been established, assets equal to the community spouse’s resource allowance (from above) must be transferred to the community spouse if those assets are not already in that spouse’s name. The institutionalized spouse must indicate their intent to transfer the assets and must complete the transfer to the community spouse within 90 days. This period may be extended for good cause. These assets are excluded during this period. After this period, assets owned by the institutionalized spouse but not transferred out of that spouse’s name will be countable and used to determine ongoing eligibility. Any transfer to the community spouse not made per this rule (for example, a transfer of the home, which is exempt and therefore not involved in the resource