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West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Chapter 24

West Virginia Income Maintenance Manual Page 36 Chapter 24 Long Term Care

24.8 ASSETS Applicants for nursing facility services must meet the asset test for their eligibility coverage groups, except for Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) groups. The asset level for those eligible in the Nursing Facility coverage group and Supplemental Security Income (SSI)- Related/Monthly Spenddown is the same as SSI-Related Medicaid When both spouses are institutionalized and both apply for nursing facility services, the SSI-Related Medicaid asset limit for a couple is used to determine eligibility. See Chapter 5 for the asset limit of the appropriate coverage group. 24.8.1 ASSET ASSESSMENTS When an institutionalized person has a spouse in the community, once the Worker determines the value of the assets as governed by Chapter 5, he completes an Asset Assessment, described below. The purpose of the Asset Assessment is to allow the spouse of an institutionalized individual to retain a reasonable portion of the couple’s assets and to prevent the impoverishment of the community spouse. This section is not applicable to clients eligible for or enrolled in MAGI eligibility groups or couples where both spouses are institutionalized. 24.8.1.A When to Conduct an Asset Assessment When determining eligibility for nursing facility services for an individual who has a community spouse, the Worker must complete a one-time assessment of the couple’s combined countable assets, called an Asset Assessment. A legally married individual and his spouse, although separated, are treated as a couple for the Asset Assessment, regardless of the length of the separation. An Asset Assessment is completed when an institutionalized individual transfers to a nursing facility in West Virginia, even if one was previously completed in the former state of residence. An asset assessment must be completed as of the first continuous period of institutionalization. The first continuous period of institutionalization is the date the client first enters the nursing facility and remains for at least 30 days or is reasonably expected to remain for 30 days at the time the individual enters the facility. The spousal limits in effect at the time the assessment is