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Probate & Trust Law Section Conference Manual ... - Minnesota CLE

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the problems they cause for some common estate planning techniques will be<br />

discussed in detail in these materials.<br />

D. The elderly and persons with disabilities usually receive what is called<br />

“long term care” (LTC) benefits. Long term care is care for medical conditions<br />

that extend 30 days or longer. These materials only apply to persons who are or<br />

might be applying for benefits to pay for long term care, either at home, in a<br />

hospital, in assisted living, or in a nursing home. The <strong>Minnesota</strong> Department of<br />

Human Services (DHS) refers to the programs for these benefits as “LTC”<br />

programs. As shown by the numbers cited above, the elderly and persons with<br />

disabilities are a substantial part of the MA caseload, but the elderly are only a<br />

small part of this total number. Unfortunately, anyone can become part of this<br />

tiny number if the infirmities of old age or the onset of a catastrophic illness or<br />

injury forces the individual to seek long-term care at home, in a hospital, in<br />

assisted living or in a nursing home. When planning to avoid probate, no one can<br />

reliably predict whether the need for MA benefits will affect that person or that<br />

person’s spouse at some point in the future.<br />

III.<br />

THE 2013-2014 MEDICAL ASSISTANCE NUMBERS<br />

Here are the medical assistance numbers that change from year to year:<br />

A. THE MONTHLY GIFT PENALTY (SAPSNF) AMOUNT<br />

1. The monthly asset transfer penalty divisor (the so-called "SAPSNF" rate) is<br />

$5,371 for applications submitted from July 1, 2012, to June 30, 2013. 10<br />

This rate is used to penalize uncompensated transfers made during the<br />

applicable look-back period. See Health Care Programs <strong>Manual</strong> (hereafter<br />

"HCPM") § 19.40.30. 11 The new SAPSNF rate for the coming 12 months<br />

10 The SAPSNF rate for the period from July 1, 2011, to June 30, 2012 was $5,340. For the<br />

previous 12 months, the SAPSNF rate was $5,360. The SAPSNF rate for July 1, 2011, to<br />

June 30, 2012, was the first time in the history of the SAPSNF rate that it did not increase<br />

significantly over the previous year. The SAPSNF rate for July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013,<br />

resumed the pattern of increasing each year. The 2013 Legislature is increasing MA nursing<br />

home reimbursement rates by 5%. The SAPSNF rate two years from now should reflect this<br />

healthy increase.<br />

11<br />

The HCPM provides “guidance” to county financial workers to assist them in determining<br />

eligibility for the <strong>Minnesota</strong> Health Care Programs. Since December of 2006, a searchable<br />

version of the HCPM has been available on the Internet. As part of the effort to make the manual<br />

more accessible, it was completely reorganized and renumbered. The most current version of the<br />

HCPM can be found at: http://hcopub.dhs.state.mn.us/hcpmstd/. Prior sections of the HCPM<br />

5

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