• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • WHO WE ARE
    • About Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
    • News and Events
  • Areas We Serve
    • Essex County, MA
      • Andover
      • North Andover
    • Hillsborough County, NH
      • Manchester
      • Nashua
    • Middlesex County, MA
      • Concord
      • Lexington
      • Wakefield
      • Winchester
      • Woburn
    • Rockingham County, NH
      • Exeter
      • Londonderry
      • Salem
  • Services
    • Asset & Business Planning
    • Elder Law & Medicaid Services
    • Estate And Gift Tax Figures
    • Family-Owned Businesses & Farms
    • Legacy Planning Services
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Loss Of A Loved One
    • Pet Planning
    • Power Of Attorney
    • Probate and Trust Administration
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Young Families
  • Elder Law
    • Coping with Alzheimer’s
    • Hospice Care
    • Medicaid Planning
    • Nursing Home Planning
  • Resources
    • Elder Law
      • Elder Law & Medicaid Definitions
      • Elder law reports
      • Elder Law Resources
        • Elder Law Resources – Londonderry, New Hampshire
        • Elder Law Resources North Andover, Massachusetts
        • Nashua, New Hampshire Elder Law Resources
        • Woburn, MA Elder Law Resources
    • Estate Planning
      • Estate Planning Articles
      • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
      • Estate Planning Checkup
      • Estate Planning Definitions
      • Estate Planning Reports
        • Advanced Estate Planning
        • Basic Estate Planning
        • Estate Planning for Niches
        • Trust Administration
      • Incapacity Planning Definitions
      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Top 10 Estate and Legacy Planning Techniques
    • Free Estate Planning Worksheet
    • Free Seminars
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Asset Protection Planning
      • Business Planning
      • Charitable Gifting
      • Estate Planning
      • Elder Law
      • Frequently Asked Questions for Families Without an Estate Plan
      • Incapacity Planning
      • Legacy Wealth Planning
      • LGBTQ Estate Planning
      • Medicaid Planning
      • Trust Administration & Probate
      • Wills and Trusts
    • Newsletters
    • Pre Consultation Form
    • Presentations
    • Probate and Trust Administration
      • Bereavement Resources
      • How to Know if You Need Extra Help With Your Grieving
      • Loss Of A Loved One
      • Probate Resources
        • Nashua, New Hampshire Probate Resources
        • Probate Resources – Londonderry, New Hampshire
        • Probate Resources – North Andover, MA
        • Probate Resources – Wakefield, Massachusetts
        • Woburn, MA Probate Resources
      • The Mourner’s Bill of Rights
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Trust
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Will
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
    • Published Books
  • Live Seminars
    • Online Seminars
    • In-Person Seminars
  • Videos
  • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • Reviews
    • Our Reviews
    • Review Us

DeBruyckere Law Offices, PC

Serving Southern New Hampshire & Essex Country, Massachussetts

Call us today(603) 894-4141

(978) 969-0331

Online Seminars
Attend Free Seminar
Home » Medicaid Planning » What Is the Medicaid Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance?

What Is the Medicaid Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance?

April 14, 2020Medicaid Planning

At some point, the mental and physical changes that occur as a result of the natural aging process may cause you to need the type of care that can only be provided by a long-term care facility. The high cost of long-term care, however, may cause you to turn to Medicaid for help. One concern many seniors have when considering Medicaid as an option is how relying on Medicaid will affect their spouse who plans to remain in the community. To help you better understand how relying on Medicaid might affect your spouse, the Medicaid planning attorneys at DeBruyckere Law Offices explain the Medicaid Minimum Monthly Needs Allowance.

Will You Need Long-Term Care?

Like most people, you likely hope to grow old in your own home without ever needing to enter a long-term care facility. Statistically speaking, however, you stand more than a 50 percent chance of needing long-term care (LTC) at some point after you reach retirement age (age 65). Those odds continue to increase the longer you live. At age 85, you will stand a 75 percent chance of needing LTC before the end of your life. Because the chance of needing LTC is very real, it only makes sense to plan for the possibility that you will need to pay for LTC at some point in the future.

What Will LTC Cost You?

Healthcare costs in general are extremely high in the United States. It should come as no real surprise then to find that the cost of LTC is also high. For the year 2019, the average cost of a year in LTC nationwide was over $100,000. Massachusetts residents paid, on average, considerably higher than the national average at almost $156,000 for that same year.  With an average length of stay of about three years you are looking at an LTC bill of close to $500,000. Because neither Medicare nor most private health insurance policies will cover expenses related to LTC, many seniors faced with the need to pay for LTC turn to Medicaid for assistance.

Medicaid Eligibility Basics

To get help from Medicaid with your LTC expenses, you must first qualify for the program. The Medicaid eligibility guidelines impose both an income and a “countable resources” (assets) limit.  Typically, a couples’ income and assets are combined for the purpose of determining Medicaid eligibility. If a couple’s assets exceeded the program limit, those assets must be “spent-down” (sold or transferred) until their value drops below the limit. If the need to qualify springs from the fact that one spouse is in LTC, the spend-down requirement would clearly leave the other spouse (referred to as the “community spouse”) with no resources. Fortunately, the Medicaid “Spousal Impoverishment” rules protect a community spouse.

Understanding the Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance

In Massachusetts, Medicaid’s asset limits are $2,000 for an individual applicant, and $3,000 for married couples applying together. While the low asset limit isn’t a problem for the spouse going into LTC, it would leave the community spouse with virtually nothing. The good news is that if one spouse of a married couple does not require long-term care, they are subject to the Massachusetts Community Spouse Resource Allowance (CSRA). The community spouse can keep non-exempt resources owned by one or both spouses worth up to a maximum of $128,640.

In addition, the “Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance,” or “MMMNA” allows the community spouse to keep part of the institutionalized spouse’s income if the community spouse has a low monthly income. The community spouse can keep part of the institutionalized spouse’s income if the community spouse has an income of less than $2,113.75 per month. The maximum amount a community spouse may keep is $3,216 per month depending upon living expenses. 

Contact Massachusetts Medicaid Planning Attorneys

For more information, please join us for an upcoming FREE seminar. If you have additional questions about Medicaid planning, contact the Massachusetts Medicaid planning attorneys at DeBruyckere Law Offices by calling (603) 894-4141 or (978) 969-0331 to schedule an appointment.



Should I purchase long-term care insurance?


Long-term care insurance is a separate policy that only covers expenses related to LTC. Before you decide to purchase a policy, consider what the policy will cost you over the course of your lifetime versus what the policy covers if you do need LTC.


Can’t I just transfer assets to my adult child when I need to qualify for Medicaid?


No. Medicaid uses a look-back rule that effectively prohibits the transfer of assets for less than fair market value during the five-year period prior to applying for benefits.

What is Medicaid planning?

Medicaid planning uses legal tools and strategies to protect your assets while simultaneously ensuring that you qualify for Medicaid if you need to down the road.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Daniel DeBruyckere
Daniel DeBruyckere
Attorney Daniel A. DeBruyckere has been practicing law in New Hampshire and Massachusetts since 1998, and has helped hundreds of clients with their estate planning and elder care issues. He is very well respected in the area of estate planning, probate, trust administration, elder law issues, and business planning.
Daniel DeBruyckere
Latest posts by Daniel DeBruyckere (see all)
  • Fewer People Have an Estate Plan in Place Than in Years Past - February 16, 2021
  • Biden Administration Could Reduce Estate Tax Exclusion - February 1, 2021
  • Estate Planning for Singles - January 28, 2021

Other Articles You May Find Useful

Is It Too Late for Medicaid Planning to Help Me?
Do You Qualify for Medicaid in New Hampshire?
North Andover Medicaid planning attorney
How the Transfer of Assets Can Impact Medicaid Eligibility
Woburn Medicaid planning attorneys
Comparing Medicaid and Medicare
Londonderry Medicaid planning attorneys
What Is a “Community Spouse?”
Nashua Medicaid planning
5 Things You Probably Didn’t Know about Medicaid

DeBruyckere Law Offices, PC

Download our free Estate Planning Worksheet

There's a lot that goes into setting up a comprehensive estate plan, but with our FREE worksheet, you'll be one step closer to getting yourself and your family on the path to a secure and happy future.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Please fill out the form below:
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkdin
  • Youtube

Blog Subscribe

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Testimonials

I felt complete trust and confidence in Dan DeBruyckere and his staff. They have a caring, low-key approach and there is no pressure to add products to the estate plan; rather he makes me aware of changes in the law, etc. I always learn something new to assist me in our planning!

LN

Your seminar was the only seminar we attended without financial advisors wanting to invest our money instead of protecting it! The information this firm provided was easy to understand even though it is a difficult topic. Thank you for all of your help!

HR

We both felt so comfortable in they way our Estate Planning was handled. We felt like someone was watching out for our best interest. Everyone we worked with at the firm was thorough, and explained everything in a way where we could walk away feeling like everything was complete.

RS

A truly great experience all the way through. Felt like we were a part of the family! Thank you.

LW

We could not have picked a more qualified law firm. Everyone that we came in contact with made us feel at ease.

Happy Client

We were very impressed with the statements put forth by Dan at the Seminar. We were impressed even more by their down to earth approach and the efficiency they accomplished it all.

Charles

Londonderry Office

Londonderry Office
One Verani Way
Londonderry, NH 03053
Phone: (603) 894-4141

See Larger Map Get Directions

Nashua Office

Nashua Office
76 Northeastern Boulevard, Unit 31B
Nashua, NH 03062
Phone: (603) 894-4141

See Larger Map Get Directions

North Andover Office

North Andover Office
231 Sutton St, Suite 1B
North Andover, MA 01845
Phone: (978) 686-4645

See Larger Map Get Directions

Woburn Office

Woburn Office
444 Washington Street, Suite 503
Woburn, MA 01801
Phone: (978) 969-0331

See Larger Map Get Directions

By Appointment Only

BEVERLY OFFICE

Beverly Office
900 Cummings Center Suite 204-U
Beverly, MA 01915
Phone: (978) 969-0331

See Larger Map Get Directions

Office Hours

Monday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Map

dadlawoffices_sidbr_map
  • Advantages of Working With Our Firm
  • About The American Academy
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Contact Us

Connect with Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkdin
  • Youtube
footer-logo

© 2021 DeBruyckere Law Offices
All Right Reseved.

Attorney Advertisement

© 2021 American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.