Page 20 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2025 COMMUNITY SPOUSE PROTECTION OF ASSETS M 855-GO-4-GLAS edicaid (MassHealth in Massachusetts) law 1. January 24 is National Peanut Butter Day; what two presidents were peanut farmers? 2. What car company has created their own brands of currywurst and curry ketchup? 3. In which year was the first American subway opened in Boston: 1898, 1905 or 1912? 4. In what state was the inaugural TGL indoor golf competition in January 2025? 5. On Jan. 25, 1858, Felix Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” was played at the marriage of Queen Victoria’s daughter; for what Shakespeare play was it composed? 6. What metal has been frequently used for wrapping for fi re protection? 7. What country originated bubble tea? 8. How are the Beatles songs “Glass Onion,” “I am the Walrus” & “Come Together” alike? 9. On Jan. 26, 1905, what Austrian-American singer and stepmother known as “Baroness” was born? 10. Why did the French district of Châteauneuf-du-Pape pass a 1954 law forbidding UFOs? Answers 11. What insect is the namesake of a pie and cocktail? 12. January 27 is Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day; Bubble Wrap has an app for what? 13. How are Lulu, Shirley Bassey and Tina Turner similar? 14. In 1903 in what magazine with a name including a day of the week was the quote “When you jump at conclusions, be sure they are there”? 15. On Jan. 28, 1958, what company patented a brick design? 16. The first American printing press was in what city in 1638: Boston, Cambridge or Lynn? 17. Who was born in Boston and wrote the fi rst-known recipe for oatmeal cookies? 18. Chines culture uses the term “Four Gentlemen” for bamboo, chrysanthemum, orchid and what fruit blossom? 19. In what state with a famous bell do the Lebanon residents drop sausage (not a ball) on New Year’s Eve? 20. January 29 is Chinese New Year; what animal is this the year of? provides certain protections for the spouse of a nursing home resident in order to make sure he or she has the minimum support necessary to live in the community. If the MassHealth applicant is married, the countable assets of both the community spouse and institutionalized spouse are totaled as of the date of “institutionalization”, the day on which the ill spouse enters either a hospital or a long-term care facility in which he or she then stays for at least 30 days. This is also commonly referred to as the “snapshot” date because MassHealth is taking a picture of the couple’s assets as of this date. For calendar year 2025, the community spouse may keep up to a maximum of $157,920. Called the “community spouse resource allowance”, this is the most that a state may allow a community spouse to retain without a hearing or a court order. Example: If a couple has $159,920 in countable assets on the date the applicant enters a nursing home, the institutionalized spouse will be eligible for MassHealth. The community spouse may keep $157,920 in his or her own name while the institutionalized spouse may keep up to $2,000 in his or her own name. Therefore, in Massachusetts, the entire $157,920 may be kept and no spend down is necessary. The income of the community spouse will continue undisturbed. He or she will not have to use his or her income to support the nursing home spouse receiving MassHealth benefits. What if most of the couple’s income is in the name of the institutionalized spouse, and the community spouse’s income is not suffi cient to live on? In such cases, the community spouse is entitled to some or all of the monthly income of the institutionalized spouse. How much the community spouse is entitled to depends on what MassHealth determines to be the minimum income level for the community spouse. This fi gure, known as the minimum monthly maintenance needs allowance or MMMNA, is calculated for each community spouse according to a complicated formula based on his or her housing costs. From July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025, the MMMNA may range from a low of $2,555 to a high of $3,948. If the community spouse’s income falls below his or her MMMNA, the shortfall is made up from the nursing home spouse’s income. In some instances community spouses may seek to retain more of the couple’s countable assets and/ or some of the institutionalized spouse’s income by asking for a Fair Hearing with MassHealth. The spousal resource allowance is adjusted on January 1st of each year. It is important to know that for a married couple, there may not be a need to transfer assets directly to the children if the countable assets are at or below the $157,920 figure and one spouse is healthy and at home. Planning ahead of time with married couples is very important from an asset protection standpoint. Avoiding an unnecessary spend down is often critical in terms of maintaining some sense of fi nancial stability for the community spouse. It is important to know all of the options available to you under the law. For example, there are numerous key exceptions to certain asset transfers that would otherwise constitute a disqualifying transfer under MassHealth rules. It is important to know whether or not you might fall under one of these exceptions. Obtaining MassHealth eligibility is no easy task. Caseworkers are often overburdened and many times take a long time before they even start to work on reviewing the application and all of the supporting documentation. Invariably, the caseworker will send out a Request For Information once the initial review of the application is completed. Denial notices are issued all of the time. Once a denial notice is issued, you must then fi le an appeal in order to preserve your initial application date and your benefit start date. It is submitted to the Board of Hearings. Most often, an appeal can be withdrawn upon providing the additional information requested by the caseworker and an agreement by the caseworker to approve the application. Joseph D. Cataldo is an Estate Planning/Elder Law Attorney, Certified Public Accountant, Certified Financial Planner, AICPA Personal Financial Specialist and holds a Master’s Degree in Taxation. 1. Jimmy Carter and Thomas Jeff erson 2. Volkswagen 3. 1898 4. Florida (the sport has a ScreenZone and GreenZone) 5. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” 6. Aluminum 7. Taiwan 8. All have the word “walrus” 9. Maria von Trapp 10. To create publicity for the district’s wine 11. Grasshopper 12. You can virtually pop it on your phone. 13. Sang songs for “Gold” Bond fi lms (“GoldenEye,” “Goldfi nger” & “The Man with the Golden Gun”) 14. The Saturday Evening Post (in “Poor Richard Junior’s Philosophy”) 15. Lego 16. Salem 17. Fannie Merritt Farmer (in “The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book”) 18. Plum 19. Pennsylvania (The Liberty Bell) 20. Snake
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