May 20, 2008
Until recently, the homeplace and automobile were considered sacrosanct
for Medicaid purposes. Unfortunately, that is no longer true.
Effective October 1, 2006, the home is only exempt if its equity value
is $500,000 or less. If the value is more than that, the
Medicaid application will be approved but no assistance will be
provided at the nursing home. There are a few exceptions to
this rule. If the applicant's spouse, child under 21, blind
or disabled child is living in the homeplace then the $500,000 limit
does not apply.
The homeplace consists of the shelter where the applicant lived, the
land on which the shelter is located all adjoining land and all other
buildings located on the property. There is no duration of
stay requirement for a property to be considered a homeplace.
As long as the applicant lived on the property before
entering the nursing home it does not matter how long it was his
homeplace.
It used to be that a Medicaid applicant could have as many automobiles
as he wished. Effective July 1, 2005, only one automobile per
household may be excluded and only if it is used to transport the
applicant or a member of his household. If the automobile is
rarely or never used to transport the applicant or a member of his
household or was purchased to shelter assets, the value of the car
counts as a resource.
If you have questions about any other exempt resources, please let me
know.
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