| (a) Assessment. Upon request of either the institutionalized spouse or the community spouse, or either spouse's authorized representative, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) assesses the couple's resources to determine the spousal protected resource amount (SPRA). The request and assessment may be made any time from the beginning of the continuous period in an institutional setting to the date of application for Medicaid. (b) Assessment request. If the request described in subsection (a) of this section is not part of an application for Medicaid, the couple must provide information on their resources and verification as required by HHSC. If the couple does not provide the verification within the time frame requested by HHSC, HHSC does not complete the assessment and takes no further action. (c) Assessment date. HHSC assesses the couple's combined countable resources as of 12:01 a.m. on the first day of the month in which the first continuous period in an institutional setting began. When determining the first day of the month in an institutional setting for the SPRA, HHSC may count days the person spent in a hospital if the person admits directly from the hospital to an institutional setting. After the continuous period begins, hospital stays and therapeutic home visits are not considered as breaks in the 30-consecutive-day period. |
