(1) The medicaid agency or the agency's designee determines financial eligibility for medicaid alternative care (MAC) or tailored supports for older adults (TSOA) using spousal impoverishment protections under this section, when an applicant or recipient:

(a) Is married to, or marries, a person who is not in a medical institution; and

(b) Is ineligible for a noninstitutional categorically needy (CN) SSI-related program or the TSOA program due to:

(i) Spousal deeming rules under WAC 182-512-0920 for MAC;

(ii) Exceeding the resource limit in WAC 182-512-0010 for MAC, or the limit under WAC 182-513-1640 for TSOA; or

(iii) Both (b)(i) and (ii) of this subsection.

(2) When a resource test applies, the agency or the agency's designee determines countable resources using the SSI-related resource rules under chapter 182-512 WAC, except pension funds owned by the spousal impoverishment protections community (SIPC) spouse are not excluded as described under WAC 182-512-0550:

(a) Resource standards:

(i) For MAC, the resource standard is $2,000; or

(ii) For TSOA, the resource standard is (($53,100)):

(A) For an individual, six times the Washington state average monthly private nursing facility rate, as determined by the department of social and health services under chapter 74.46 RCW.

(B) For a married couple, six times the Washington state average monthly private nursing facility rate, as determined by the department of social and health services under chapter 74.46 RCW, for the TSOA applicant, plus the state spousal resource standard for the spousal impoverishment protections community (SIPC) spouse. The state spousal resource standard may change annually on July 1st.

(b) Before determining countable resources used to establish eligibility for the applicant, the agency or the agency's designee allocates the state spousal resource standard to the SIPC spouse.

(c) The resources of the SIPC spouse are unavailable to the spousal impoverishment protections institutionalized (SIPI) spouse the month after eligibility for MAC or TSOA services is established.

(3) The SIPI spouse has until the end of the month of the first regularly scheduled eligibility review to transfer countable resources in excess of $2,000 (for MAC) or (($53,100))six times the Washington state average monthly private nursing facility rate, as determined by the department of social and health services under chapter 74.46 RCW (for TSOA) to the SIPC spouse.

(4) Income eligibility:

(a) For MAC:

(i) The agency or the agency's designee determines countable income using the SSI-related income rules under chapter 182-512 WAC, but uses only the applicant or recipient's income;

(ii) If the applicant's or recipient's countable income is at or below the SSI categorically needy income level (CNIL), the applicant or recipient is considered a SIPI spouse and is income eligible for noninstitutional CN coverage and MAC services.

(b) For TSOA, see WAC 182-513-1635.

(5) Once a person no longer receives MAC services, eligibility is redetermined without using spousal impoverishment protections under WAC 182-504-0125.

(6) If the applicant's separate countable income is above the standards described in subsection (4) of this section, the applicant is not income eligible for MAC or TSOA services.

(7) The spousal impoverishment protections described in this section are time-limited and expire on September 30, 2027.

(8) Standards described in this chapter are located at:www.hca.wa.gov/free-or-low-cost-health-care/i-help-others-apply-and-access-apple-health/program-standard-income-and-resources((.))