Watch Your Language: Snapshot Date

One thing Medicaid does not do (yet – but that’s a different blog post) is keep track of your financial situation day by day. Instead, the state chooses specific dates to check whether you are eligible or not. When you first submit a Medicaid application for nursing facility care (and Elderly Waiver, in Iowa), DHS takes a “snapshot” of your financial status as of the date you first moved into the nursing home. This is called the “snapshot date.”

Sometimes the snapshot date and the Medicaid application are the same day. Sometimes, the snapshot date occurs months or even years before a Medicaid application is submitted.

For all applicants, the snapshot date is the first date the state will consider whether you are even eligible for assistance. Your countable, non-countable, and unavailable resources are determined as of the snapshot date. The Community Spouse Resource Allowance is figured as of the snapshot date.

However, in Iowa at least, the snapshot date is not considered when determining the monthly income allowance for the spouse at home or for figuring out the Medicaid applicant’s co-pay at the facility. Those are calculated as of the eligibility date.

For more information on how your snapshot date will affect your eligibility, contact our team at (712) 737-3885 and schedule a Mutual Interview.