CMS Releases 2009 MassHealth Spousal Impoverishment Amounts

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have  released the community spouse resource allowance (CSRA) and the maximum monthly maintenance needs allowance. Effective January 1, 2009 the new maximum CSRA is $109,560. Under the MassHealth program, the CSRA is the amount of the couple's total “countable” assets the community spouse may keep, without a court order.

The new maximum monthly maintenance needs allowance has increased from $2,610 to $2,739. This amount is an income cap for the spouse of a MassHealth covered nursing home resident. The amount of the couples' income the healthy spouse may keep is calculated according to a complicated formula based on each community spouse's housing costs.  It currently may not exceed $2,610 now and $2,739 as of January without an appeal. The minimum monthly maintenance needs allowance remains $1,750 until July 1, 2009.

-Adapted from “ CMS Releases the 2009 MassHealth Spousal Impoverishment”, News from Margolis & Bloom, November 04, 2008.

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