loading…
loading…
loading…
Medicare, Medicaid and any Federally or State-funded housing or assistance authority, and must be spent on repairs and modifications necessary to ensure a beneficiary is able to safely continue to obtain care in their own home. The set-aside must be approved by a Medicaid LTSS specialist based on documentation that the repairs/modifications are required for the person’s health and safety and the cost estimates are deemed reasonable – estimates from a properly qualified contractor. Documentation that repairs are needed may be provided by a health practitioner or contractor. Any funds remaining in the account at the eligibility renewal after the account was established or used for purposes other than qualified home repairs or modifications are counted as a resource on the first (1st) day of the month following the renewal date. 10. ABLE accounts – The federal Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE) of 2014, 26 U.S.C. § 529A, amended § 529 of the IRS code to permit States to create tax-advantaged savings accounts for persons who have proof of a documented disability or blindness, the onset of which occurred before age twenty-six (26). In accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-7.2-20.1 et seq., balances held in an ABLE account are excluded when determining financial eligibility for non-LTSS Medicaid under this Part and Medicaid LTSS pursuant to Part 50-00-6 of this Title. For persons eligible for Medicaid based on receipt of Supplemental Security Income (SSI), as described in Part 05-1 of this Chapter, balances of up to one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) are excluded in the determination of financial eligibility. An SSI recipient with an ABLE account in excess of this balance loses SSI cash benefits until the balance is below this limit but is deemed eligible for the purposes of maintaining Medicaid eligibility. The resource exclusion for Medicaid eligibility continues to apply unless or until the contributions for the person benefiting from the ABLE account exceeds the annual limit of fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000.00) or the maximum life-time limit of three hundred ninety-five thousand dollars ($395,000.00). ABLE accounts are managed by the State and funds must be used only for the Qualified Disability Expenses established in Federal and State laws. Additional information on ABLE accounts is located at the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals (BHDDH) website at: https://bhddh.ri.gov/developmental- disabilities-services/services-adults/able-saving-plan. 3.7.5 Determination of Resource Eligibility A. Once the appropriate exclusions have been applied and the value of each type of resource is determined, the value of all countable resources (including deemed resources) are added together to determine the total countable resources for the Medicaid eligibility group for the family size involved. If the resources of the Medicaid eligibility unit fall below or are equal to the applicable eligibility resource standard, the resource test is passed. If an excess resource amount remains after all exclusions have been applied, the applicant/beneficiary has not passed