
Therefore, if a person gifted $150,000 to his or her children, and applied for Medicaid within 5 years of the date of the gift, then the Penalty Period would be 21.9 months ($150,000 / $6,852.00 = 21.9 months). For example, in Tennessee, the penalty divisor is $6,852.00 (2022). The result equals the number of months of ineligibility for Medicaid. The Penalty Period is determined by dividing the fair market value of the gifted resources by a penalty divisor. The Penalty Period begins on the date of application for Medicaid. The Penalty Period is the period of time during which a Medicaid applicant is ineligible or disqualified for Medicaid based on a gift during the Look-Back Period. The Look-Back period is five (5) years or sixty (60) months from the date of application. The "Look-Back" Period is the period of time in which Medicaid "looks-back" to determine if a Medicaid applicant has given away or divested (or sold for less than fair market value) resources for the purpose of becoming eligible for Medicaid. The maximum CSRA is $137,400 in both TN and MS (2022). The Community Spouse is entitled to retain additional resources referred to as the Community Spouse Resource Allowance (CSRA). The Institutionalized Spouse has the same exempt resources as an unmarried applicant. The Institutionalized Spouse is the spouse who is in the nursing home or is receiving home and community based services. The Community Spouse is the spouse who is at home. WHAT RESOURCES ARE EXEMPT IF I AM MARRIED? cash value life insurance ($1,500 face value or less in TN and $10,000 or less in MS ).One personal residence or homestead (if $636,000 in value or less).WHAT RESOURCES ARE EXEMPT IF I AM SINGLE?įor financial eligibility purposes, the following assets or resources are exempt or are not counted when an unmarried person applies for Medicaid: The Mississippi Division of Medicaid administers the Medicaid program in Mississippi. The aged coverage group consists of persons over the age of 65 who either receives medically needy services in a long term care facility or receives medically needy services in a home or community based setting. In Mississippi, Medicaid provides health benefits to certain populations. The CHOICES program is administered by the Tennessee Bureau of TennCare. To be medically eligible under CHOICES, a person must meet certain Level of Care criteria based on an acuity scale.

The TennCare CHOICES program provides the elderly (65 years of age and older) who are eligible for TennCare with long term services and supports (LTSS) either in an institutionalized setting (nursing home) or in a home and community based setting (at home). In Tennessee, there are three categories of Medicaid:

Financial: To be financially eligible, a person must meet both an income test and a resource or assets test.Medical: To be medically eligible, a person must be medically needy.Citizen, must be a resident of the state in which the Medicaid application is being filed, and must be 65 years of age or older. Technical: To be technically eligible, a person must be a U.S.To qualify for Medicaid, a person must meet three levels of eligibility:
