2011 Ohio Revised Code
Title [51] LI PUBLIC WELFARE
Chapter 5111: MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
5111.11 Estate recovery program.

(A) As used in this section and section 5111.111 of the Revised Code:

(1) “Estate” includes both of the following:

(a) All real and personal property and other assets to be administered under Title XXI of the Revised Code and property that would be administered under that title if not for section 2113.03 or 2113.031 of the Revised Code;

(b) Any other real and personal property and other assets in which an individual had any legal title or interest at the time of death (to the extent of the interest), including assets conveyed to a survivor, heir, or assign of the individual through joint tenancy, tenancy in common, survivorship, life estate, living trust, or other arrangement.

(2) “Institution” means a nursing facility, intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded, or a medical institution.

(3) “Intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded” and “nursing facility” have the same meanings as in section 5111.20 of the Revised Code.

(4) “Permanently institutionalized individual” means an individual to whom all of the following apply:

(a) Is an inpatient in an institution;

(b) Is required, as a condition of the medicaid program paying for the individual’s services in the institution, to spend for costs of medical or nursing care all of the individual’s income except for an amount for personal needs specified by the department of job and family services;

(c) Cannot reasonably be expected to be discharged from the institution and return home as determined by the department of job and family services.

(5) “Qualified state long-term care insurance partnership program” means the program established under section 5111.18 of the Revised Code.

(6) “Time of death” shall not be construed to mean a time after which a legal title or interest in real or personal property or other asset may pass by survivorship or other operation of law due to the death of the decedent or terminate by reason of the decedent’s death.

(B) To the extent permitted by federal law, the department of job and family services shall institute a medicaid estate recovery program under which the department shall, except as provided in divisions (C) and (E) of this section, and subject to division (D) of this section, do all of the following:

(1) For the costs of medicaid services the medicaid program correctly paid or will pay on behalf of a permanently institutionalized individual of any age, seek adjustment or recovery from the individual’s estate or on the sale of property of the individual or spouse that is subject to a lien imposed under section 5111.111 of the Revised Code;

(2) For the costs of medicaid services the medicaid program correctly paid or will pay on behalf of an individual fifty-five years of age or older who is not a permanently institutionalized individual, seek adjustment or recovery from the individual’s estate;

(3) Seek adjustment or recovery from the estate of other individuals as permitted by federal law.

(C)(1) No adjustment or recovery may be made under division (B)(1) of this section from a permanently institutionalized individual’s estate or on the sale of property of a permanently institutionalized individual that is subject to a lien imposed under section 5111.111 of the Revised Code or under division (B)(2) or (3) of this section from an individual’s estate while either of the following are alive:

(a) The spouse of the permanently institutionalized individual or individual;

(b) The son or daughter of a permanently institutionalized individual or individual if the son or daughter is under age twenty-one or, under 42 U.S.C. 1382c, is considered blind or disabled.

(2) No adjustment or recovery may be made under division (B)(1) of this section from a permanently institutionalized individual’s home that is subject to a lien imposed under section 5111.111 of the Revised Code while either of the following lawfully reside in the home:

(a) The permanently institutionalized individual’s sibling who resided in the home for at least one year immediately before the date of the permanently institutionalized individual’s admission to the institution and on a continuous basis since that time;

(b) The permanently institutionalized individual’s son or daughter who provided care to the permanently institutionalized individual that delayed the permanently institutionalized individual’s institutionalization and resided in the home for at least two years immediately before the date of the permanently institutionalized individual’s admission to the institution and on a continuous basis since that time.

(D) In the case of a participant of the qualified state long-term care insurance partnership program, adjustment or recovery required by this section may be reduced in accordance with rules adopted under division (G) of this section.

(E) The department shall, in accordance with procedures and criteria established in rules adopted under division (G) of this section, waive seeking an adjustment or recovery otherwise required by this section if the director of job and family services determines that adjustment or recovery would work an undue hardship. The department may limit the duration of the waiver to the period during which the undue hardship exists.

(F) For the purpose of determining whether an individual meets the definition of “permanently institutionalized individual” established for this section, a rebuttable presumption exists that the individual cannot reasonably be expected to be discharged from an institution and return home if either of the following is the case:

(1) The individual declares that he or she does not intend to return home.

(2) The individual has been an inpatient in an institution for at least six months.

(G) The director of job and family services shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code regarding the medicaid estate recovery program, including rules that do both of the following:

(1) For the purpose of division (D) of this section and consistent with 42 U.S.C. 1396p(b)(1)(C), provide for reducing an adjustment or recovery in the case of a participant of the qualified state long-term care insurance partnership program;

(2) For the purpose of division (E) of this section and consistent with the standards specified by the United States secretary of health and human services under 42 U.S.C. 1396p(b)(3), establish procedures and criteria for waiving adjustment or recovery due to an undue hardship.

Effective Date: 08-29-2000; 06-30-2005; 06-30-2006; 2007 HB119 09-29-2007