This bill amends New Jersey's Medicaid estate recovery program by limiting the authority of the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services (DMAHS) to impose liens and seek recovery from the estates of deceased Medicaid recipients. Specifically, it restricts recovery to the federal minimum requirements, which include costs associated with nursing facility services, home and community-based services, and hospital and prescription drug services provided concurrently with those services, applicable to recipients aged 55 and older. The bill aims to allow Medicaid recipients to preserve certain assets for their heirs while complying with federal regulations established by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993.

Additionally, the bill revises the definition of "estate" to align with the standard definition in New Jersey probate law, which includes only real and personal property and other assets that pass through probate. This change eliminates the broader definition previously used, which allowed recovery from assets that bypass probate, such as life insurance and retirement accounts. The bill's intent is to ensure that Medicaid recipients can retain more of their assets for their heirs while still meeting the necessary federal requirements for estate recovery.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 30:4D-7.2