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Example 12 Mariel received a prepaid debit card from her dual eligible special needs plan (D-SNP) plan as a wellness benefit that she can use to purchase healthy food and over-the-counter medications. The funds on the debit card must not be counted as income or assets. 16.7.36 Medicare Set-Aside Arrangements A Workers Compensation Medicare Set-Aside Arrangement (WCMSA) or Medicare Set-Aside Arrangement (MSA) is an agreement between Medicare and the Medicare beneficiary to take a portion of a workers' compensation or other injury-related insurance settlement and set those funds aside for all future injury-related medical expenses that would normally be paid by Medicare. Medicare set-aside arrangements are not subject to any special treatment under Medicaid rules. WCMSA/MSA funds must be evaluated to determine if they meet the Medicaid definition of an available asset (see SECTION 16.2.1 ASSETS AVAILABILITY INTRODUCTION). Note There may be cases in which WCMSA/MSA funds are placed into a trust that is exempt for Medicaid purposes, such as a special needs trust (see SECTION 16.6.5 SPECIAL NEEDS TRUSTS) or pooled trust (see SECTION 16.6.6 POOLED TRUSTS), in which case the WCMSA/MSA funds may be disregarded under those trust provisions. This page last updated in Release Number: 26-01 Release Date: 02/13/2026 Effective Date: 09/01/2024 16.8 Real Property 16.8.1 Home/Homestead Property An individual’s home is an excluded asset. A home is defined as any property an individual has an ownership interest in and which serves as their primary place of residence. An individual’s primary place of residence is the property they consider their principal home and to which, if absent, they intend to return. It can be real or personal property, fixed or mobile, and located on land or water. The home can include any of the following: • The shelter in which they reside • The land on which the shelter is located • Related buildings on the land The home can include more than one lot. Land is considered part of the home as long as the lots adjoin one another and are not separated by land in which neither the individual nor their spouse has an ownership interest. Easements and public rights of way, such as utility lines and roads, do not separate other land from the home plot. For example, there are farms where the land is on both sides of a road and considered a part of the home. If land is completely separated from the home property by land in which neither the individual nor their spouse has ownership interest, it should not be considered part of the home. 16.8.1.1 Multi-unit Dwelling When a Medicaid fiscal group member lives in one unit of a multi-unit dwelling and owns all of the units, exempt all of the units and the property they are on. Consider the whole multi-unit dwelling as the group member's home.