MassHealth and You Guide - Mass.Gov

Introduction
MassHealth and Commonwealth Care provide a
wide range of medical and other benefits. These
programs are authorized by state and federal law.
MassHealth and You: A guide for seniors and
for persons of any age needing long-term-care
services is for Massachusetts residents who:
are aged 65 or older and living at home; or
are any age and are in or are waiting to go
into a long-term-care facility; or
are eligible under certain programs to get
long-term-care services to live at home.
Effective for applications and eligibility review
forms received on or after October 31, 2008,
any individuals married under the laws of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, regardless of
gender, will be considered married for purposes
of MassHealth eligibility and should represent
their marital status to the MassHealth agency as
married.
Please Note:
If you are disabled and working 40 hours or
more a month or you have worked at least 240
hours in the six months immediately before
the month of your MassHealth application,
or if you are a parent or a caretaker relative*
of children under the age of 19, or you are
applying for certain disabled, immigrant
children under the age of 19 who live in nursing
homes or other long-term-care facilities, this
guide may not be for you. Call MassHealth
Customer Service at 1-800-841-2900 (TTY:
1-800-497-4648 for people who are deaf, hard
of hearing, or speech disabled) to find out
if another booklet, the MassHealth Member
Booklet, is for you.
* A caretaker relative is an adult who is living with and
related to the children under age 19, and who is the main
caregiver of the children because neither parent of the
children is in the home.
A guide for seniors and for
persons of any age needing longterm-care
services
The guide is divided into five parts.
I Applying for MassHealth,
Commonwealth Care, or the Health
Safety Net—for Seniors Living at Home
Including Persons Needing Long-Term-
Care Services While Living at Home
– page 4
II Applying for MassHealth—for Persons in
or Waiting to Go into a Long-Term-Care
Facility
– page 10
III Special Income Eligibility Rules under
MassHealth Standard for Persons Aged
65 or Older Needing Personal-Care-
Attendant Services to Live at Home
– page 14
IV MassHealth and Other Benefits
– page 16
V Important Information You Should
Know about MassHealth
– page 18