You asked for a summary of An Act Concerning Funeral and Burial Plot Allowances (HB 5364) recently reported by the Select Committee on Aging.

SUMMARY

The bill requires the Department of Social Services (DSS) commissioner to exclude certain assets uniformly throughout the state when determining eligibility for the State Supplement and Temporary Family Assistance (TANF) programs. These are the values of an applicant’s burial fund amount, burial plot, and irrevocable funeral contract. The bill defines “value of a burial plot” as the value of a gravesite, opening and closing a gravesite, a cremation urn, a casket, an outer burial container, and a headstone or marker.

The bill also excludes the value of the burial fund amount, burial plot, and irrevocable funeral contract when determining eligibility for Medicaid. It requires the DSS commissioner to seek any waiver from federal law required to implement this exclusion.

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