AHCCCS: Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System. The agency tasked with managing several public health care programs here in Arizona.
ALTCS: The Arizona Long Term Care System. Arizona’s Medicaid Program.
300% of the Federal Benefit Rate (or FBR): The Single person income limit for ALTCS without having to create a “Millers Trust” (Also known as an Income Only Trust here in Arizona. Currently, the number is $2,382.00.
Miller’s trust: A trust that allows the potential applicant to have greater than 300% of the FBR and up to the “Average Cost of Care” as determined by AHCCCS through an annual survey that varies per county in Arizona. For Maricopa County, the Average Cost of Care (or ACC) is $7,366.21.
Marital income limits are effectively double the single person limits.
Resource Limits: The amount of countable assets an individual can have and still qualify for benefits.
- Single person: Less than $2,000.00 in countable resources.
- Married person: the applicant cannot have more than $2,000.00 in countable resources and the spouse can have up to the limit as determined by a resource Assessment.
Resource assessment: The process by which the state determines how much the healthy spouse can have and still have the applicant qualify for benefits. The minimum amount is currently $26,076.00 and the maximum amount is $130,380.00. ALTCS takes all the countable assets of the marriage and puts it into a pile and divides by two. If the number is below the minimum then you get the minimum. If that number is between the minimum and the maximum than the number is that number. If the number is in excess of the maximum than the spouse can only have up to the maximum. It does not matter to ALTCS how the assets are held (individually, together, in a trust, etc.) nor does it matter how they came into the marriage, both Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements are not relevant to this process.
These numbers change annually and are current as of this date 1/01/2021.