MORE MASSHEALTH APPLICANTS CAN KEEP CAR

MassHealth is revising the countable asset regulations for vehicles. The revisions are being made because of a change in federal regulations. These regulations were issued as emergency regulations and became effective April 1, 2005.

Previously an unmarried institutionalized person could only keep a vehicle (i.e., it wasn’t counted as an asset) under limited circumstances, such as if it was needed for medical treatment, it had been modified for disability accessibility, and the equity value was below a certain limit. These limitations have been removed. Also, the old rules only protected the car if it was used by the applicant or spouse. Now this protection has been expanded to include a car that is used by another member of the household.

The new regulation reads simply “One vehicle per household is noncountable regardless of its value if it is for the use of the eligible individual or couple or a member of the eligible individual’s or couple’s household”.

-Adapted from MassHealth Eligibility Letter 139, December 16, 2005.

01/2006