CMS Issues Information Bulletin on Spousal Impoverishment

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an information bulletin to states, setting 2020 federal guidelines for how much money the spouses of Medicaid recipients who are in nursing homes or state-run institutions may keep. Because spouses who remain in the community while their loved ones are in Medicaid-funded institutional settings face greater rates of impoverishment, this is an important issue for the disability and elderly communities. The full chart of impoverishment standards is available here.