Before a married person applies for long-term care nursing home benefits in Kentucky, a Resource Assessment must first be obtained. A Resource Assessments will ultimately determine a married couple's specific asset levels to achieve Medicaid eligibility. 

A Resource Assessment should be done at the earliest opportunity to protect the maximum amount for the non-nursing home spouse (i.e., the community spouse). An Assessment can be done as early as the first day of nursing home placement if it is expected that the spouse placed in a nursing home will be a resident for 30 days or more.

During a Resource Assessment, it is determined which of the couple's assets is excluded from the asset rules or countable. The community spouse typically keeps half of the countable resources (i.e., non-exempt assets) up to the maximum allowance of $130,380.00 (2021). The Resource Assessment also determines the spend-down amount (i.e., typically one-half of the total countable resources minus $2,000.

Resource Assessments can be tricky to pursue. To learn the best Resource Assessment strategies, call Darpel Elder Law today.