There is a change in how asset allowances are calculated for the MassHealth Community Spouse that was not reported earlier in this space. As of January 2003, MassHealth returned to dividing the couple's assets in half (within a range), rather than letting the community spouse keep all assets up to a certain amount. This split was the norm for many years. Within the past few years, DMA started letting the spouse keep everything up to a certain limit, but now has reverted back to the old formula. The 2003 figures are used below.

First the institutionalized spouse is assigned $2,000 of the countable assets. Then the community spouse can keep:

• "one-half of the combined total countable assets of the institutionalized spouse and the community spouse, not to ex-ceed $90,660.
• $18,132, if the total combined countable assets of the couple are between $18,132 and $36,264
• the amount of the couple's total countable assets, if the total combined amount is $18,132 or less
• a court-ordered amount OR
• an amount determined after a fair hearing."

Please also see note in budget supplement about the planned changes to the determination of the community spouse's income allowance. It is also related to the amount of assets she may retain.