Any transfer made within five years previous to an application for MO HealthNet Vendor assistance will result in a penalty before the application qualifies for payment for nursing home assistance. For any uncompensated transfer which falls within the Five-Year Look-Back period, a penalty period will be applied, during which the applicant will not qualify for Medicaid Vendor or HCB assistance.
Determine the penalty period according to the following:
- Determine the total uncompensated value of the transfer.
- Divide that amount by the Average Private Pay Rate for nursing care at the time of application of nursing facility services. The Average Private Pay Rate changes effective each January. The current Average Private Pay Rate is $6,122.00 (as of October, 2019).
- Determine the penalty period including any partial month penalty by dividing the transfer amount by the Private Pay rate. This figure represents the number of months of ineligibility for vendor or HCB services. There is no limit to the number of months. Once the number of months is established, it cannot be recalculated using an updated average private pay rate if the person reapplies.
Missouri Department of Social Services Income Maintenance Manual.