August 11, 2022
Evelynn Passino, J.D.
For clients with public benefits, closing out their case is not as simple as issuing a check for their net recovery. If the client has Medicare or will be eligible soon, then steps must be taken to comply with the Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) Act. If the client has means-tested benefits, such as Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), then additional steps may be necessary to ensure their recovery and eligibility for those benefits is protected.
Means-Tested Benefits
In cases where the client has means-tested benefits, their settlement recovery may be a countable resource, which means that receipt of those funds may cause them to be ineligible for their benefits. It is important to understand that not all public benefits programs operate the same way. For example, SSI, while it is a federal program, has state-specific nuances because some states supplement SSI benefits. Programs such as Medicaid, Section 8 benefits offered by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are administered on a state or local level, creating variations in how these programs work. Each program has its own eligibility requirements, which can include both categorical qualifications (such as being disabled, over 65, etc.) and financial qualifications. The financial qualifications may place limitations on income, assets, or both. Generally, means-tested benefits programs will exclude certain assets from being counted, such as a home, vehicle, and personal effects. Cash is almost always a countable resource and having too much of it available will cause the client to lose his or her benefits.
It is critical to know which benefits the client has so that educated decisions can be made about how to handle the recovery. Getting copies of the client’s benefit cards and award letters is recommended. If the client no longer has their award letters, which outline what benefit the client qualified for, these can usually be requested from the office administering the benefit. Some programs, such as the Social Security Administration, offer these online.[1]
Preserving Means-Tested Benefits
If a client is in danger of having more resources than they are allowed under their government program, then there are actions they can take to protect their benefits. One option is to use the money to purchase exempt resources, like a home or vehicle, or use the money to improve those resources, such as adding accessibility features to their car or adding a wheelchair ramp to their home. They may also want to pay down debts; however, they should be careful about this where there is not a clean paper trail, such as money loaned between family members. Paying back a person in those circumstances could appear (to the government) like a gift, which will be counted as a transfer for less than fair market value and may trigger transfer penalties resulting in ineligibility.
If the client is disabled, then another option is to deposit the money in a special needs trust (SNT). An SNT, when created and administered in compliance with 42 U.S.C. § 1396p(d)(4)(a-c), is typically not a countable resource, although programs differ as to how they can be used and what they can pay for. An SNT can be funded with either first-party money (such as a personal injury recovery) or third-party money (such as inheritance or other gift). An SNT can be created for an individual and managed on their behalf by a trustee of their choosing (called a standalone trust), or a person can join a pooled trust, which is an existing trust administered by a non-profit association. Generally, pooled trusts are faster to set up and lower in cost due to them being administered by a non-profit. Standalone trusts, however, can be customized, and the client has more control in choosing their trustee. In either case, if the client is receiving Medicaid, then Medicaid has a right to be paid back from the balance of the trust when the beneficiary dies (this is known as “Medicaid payback”).
Lastly, the client always has the option to forgo their benefits but should exercise caution in doing so because some benefits are difficult to re-qualify for if the client changes their mind later. They should also be careful if intending to preserve some benefits and not others. For example, some clients are willing to lose their SSI benefits after a settlement because they expect to have cash from the recovery available but want to continue receiving Medicaid benefits. In most states, a person qualifies for Medicaid automatically once they qualify for SSI, and this is how many on Medicaid access this benefit; however, the reverse is also true, that if a person loses eligibility for SSI then they also lose Medicaid. If they lose SSI-related Medicaid, there may be another Medicaid program they can qualify for, but they should confirm this before taking action that will jeopardize their SSI benefits.
Medicare
The MSP Act (42 U.S.C. § 1395 y(6)(b)) works to preserve the Medicare trust fund by ensuring that Medicare does not pay injury-related claims when another person or entity is liable. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) does this by seeking reimbursement on injury-related claims that accrued prior to settlement and asserting that Medicare’s interests be considered for claims which can be expected in the future.
Conditional Payments
CMS is notified of an accident through Mandatory Insurer Reporting (MIR), which is required by Section 111 of the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007. This reporting is done by liability insurers, no-fault insurers, workers’ compensation plans and insurers, and self-insured organizations. This puts CMS on-notice so they can begin tracking injury-related claims which they will seek reimbursement for at settlement. If a conditional payment is not repaid, CMS can take action against any of the entities responsible for payment, including the plaintiff’s law firm, and can seek double damages. 42 U.S.C. § 1395y(b)(2)(B)(iii); 42 U.S.C. § 1395y(b)(3).
Future Interests
MIR includes notification to CMS when the case settles, giving Medicare notice of the injuries and ICD-10 codes applicable to the case. Medicare’s preferred method for considering its future interests is through the creation of a Medicare Set-Aside (MSA). An MSA begins with an allocation, which is a report summarizing the expected injury-related care and prescriptions that would otherwise be covered by Medicare for the remainder of the Medicare beneficiary’s life. The allocation projects the cost of such care at the usual and customary prices where the injury victim lives. In worker’s compensation cases, there is a voluntary process for CMS to review the allocation in cases where certain thresholds are met. For someone who is a Medicare beneficiary at the time of settlement, this review may occur if the settlement exceeds $25,000. If the client has a reasonable expectation of being eligible for Medicare within 30 months (such as those who have applied for Social Security Disability Insurance), then CMS will only review the MSA if the settlement amount is more than $250,000. There is currently no review process for liability and no-fault cases.[2] CMS’ expectation is that the injury victim will set aside the amount of money in the MSA allocation and use this money to pay for Medicare-covered, injury-related services and prescriptions until exhaustion. CMS will resume normal coverage when the account has been properly exhausted, even if additional injury-related care is needed after that time.
It is important to note that the MSP Act does not explicitly require that an MSA be created or how much it is to be funded.[3] CMS has provided some guidance about when an MSA is not necessary, such as when the settlement, judgment, or award does not fund future medical costs or when the injury victim’s treating physician certifies that no further injury-related treatment is needed.[4]
Medicare’s enforcement mechanism regarding future medicals is to deny claims that are injury-related if they determine the Medicare beneficiary did not consider Medicare’s interest at the time of settlement. This provides additional room to argue how much is appropriate for an MSA or if an MSA is even advisable. What makes sense for a particular client will depend on their risk tolerance. If a client is risk-averse, they will probably want to fully fund a set-aside and administer it correctly to reduce the risk that Medicare will ever deny a claim. On the other end of the spectrum, some clients choose not to fund an MSA because they are adamant about not getting further injury-related treatment or they prefer to “roll the dice” and keep billing Medicare for injury-related care until Medicare denies it. For clients who are in the middle, they may want to fund an MSA, but not in full. One option is to reduce the MSA based on the value of damages suffered relative to the settlement amount obtained.
Funding
If a client decides to fund an MSA, then they need to decide how to fund it. MSAs can be funded by lump sum or by structured settlement annuity. The annuity is often preferred because it allows the MSA to be fully funded with less money out-of-pocket. It can also create a scenario where the MSA is temporarily exhausted, in which case Medicare will resume normal coverage until the next annuity payment is deposited into the MSA. Lump sum funding makes more sense when the MSA is smaller, and an annuity would not be advantageous.
Administration
The next step is determining how to administer the MSA. This depends on the client’s capacity, willingness, and whether they have means-tested benefits. For clients with capacity and no means-tested benefits, one option is to self-administer their MSA. This means they will take the recommended amount from their settlement, place it in a separate account, and pay any Medicare-covered, injury-related bills from this account. It requires some work on the client’s part to manage the account, keep records, and report to CMS (if required).[5] For those who do not want the hassle of administering their own account, there are companies that offer professional administration. These companies take custody of the MSA funding, provide the Medicare beneficiary with a card they can show when receiving injury-related care (similar to an insurance card), and handle all payments, recordkeeping and reporting. Generally, they can also get fee discounts for their clients on various services using their networks, which help the MSA last longer. There is a fee for these services, which unfortunately cannot be paid from the MSA funds. These companies often also have self-administration assistance services at a lower cost for those who wish to self-administer, but want some help with certain aspects, or want to take advantage of the network discounts.
If the client is dual-eligible, meaning they have both Medicare and Medicaid (or other means-tested benefits), then it is important to determine whether the MSA will be a countable resource for them. In most states and under most programs, it is countable, meaning the money in that account is treated like any other cash the client has available to them; however, some programs have begun to create exemptions for counting MSAs, so it is worth exploring where your state stands on this. If the MSA will be countable, then self-administration is not an option, and the MSA should be professionally administered and held in a special needs trust.
Conclusion
When a client has public benefits, it is important to understand which benefits they have, how those programs work, and what options are available. If they want to preserve their benefits, then there are likely to be some steps they need to take to ensure no interruption in the services they receive. It is helpful to get experts involved who understand these programs and can make sure the client makes an informed decision, whatever that decision may be.
Synergy Settlement Services works with clients every day to help them understand their obligations under the Medicare Secondary Payer Act and how to preserve eligibility for their benefits. Call Synergy today at (877) 242-0022 to learn how we can help.
[1] https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/
[2] Memorandum from Sally Stalcup, MSP Regional Coordinator, CMS, Medicare Fee for Service Branch, Division of Financial Management and Fee for Service Operations (May 25, 2011), available at https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5807a480d482e9eb1f5d9c54/t/589d81823e00bea366d73d90/1486717333702/00-CMS-Sally-Stalcup-Memo-5-25-2011.pdf.
[3] Id.
[4] Id.; Memorandum from Charlotte Benson, Acting Director, Financial Services Group, Office of Financial Management, Department of Health & Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to Consortium Administrator for Financial Management and Fee-for-Service Operations, Medicare Secondary Payer—Liability Insurance (Including Self-Insurance) Settlements, Judgments, Award, or Other Payments and Future Medicals – INFORMATION (Sep. 30, 2011), available at https://www.cms.gov/files/document/future-medicals.pdf.
[5] CMS offers a self-administration toolkit for those who wish to handle this themselves: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coordination-of-Benefits-and-Recovery/Workers-Compensation-Medicare-Set-Aside-Arrangements/Downloads/Self-Administration-Toolkit-for-WCMSAs-Version-1_3.pdf.
