Medicaid’s "Snapshot" Date and Its Crucial Impact on a Couple’s Financial Picture
When a married couple applies for Medicaid, the Medicaid agency must analyze the couple’s income and assets as of a particular date to determine eligibility. The date that the agency chooses for this analysis is called the “snapshot” date and it can have a major impact on a couple’s financial future.
In order to be eligible for Medicaid benefits a nursing home resident may have no more than $2,000 in "countable" assets (the figure may be somewhat higher in some states). Medicaid law also provides special protections for the spouses of Medicaid applicants to make sure they have the minimum support needed to continue living in the community while their husband or wife is receiving long-term care benefits.
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