Bradley S. Erdosi Consumer’s Guide to Medi-Cal Single Person What is Medi-Cal Medi-Cal is a means based program. Certain assets maybe kept by a Medi-Cal recipient, without com- promising Medi-Cal qualification or benefits. These are called “Exempt Assets.” Common Exempt Assets are: Personal residence (up to $802,000 in equity) Household goods and personal property Certain items of Jewelry (i.e.: wedding ring and heirlooms) One car Whole life insurance policies with total cash Value of $1,500 or less Burial plots and irrevocable prepaid burial plans Term life insurance $2,00 in any other assets (includes cash, savings, checking accounts, stocks, property, etc.)
Common Exempt Assets are: What happens after death (Estate Recovery)? After a Medi-Cal recipient’s death, the State of California has a legal right to recover from the decendent’s estate amounts paid on the recipient’s behalf for nursing home care. This is called “Estate Recovery.”
Although Exempt Assets will not prevent a person from receiving Medi-Cal, they are available to the State of California to recover against upon the Medi-Cal recipient’s death.
How much income may a single person on Medi-Cal keep if he is in the nursing home? $35 per month. This is called the “Personal needs allowance.”
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