Residential Care Subsidy - A Trust May Affect Eligibility

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Elder Law, Trusts / Asset Planning

If you need long term care in a rest home or hospital, you may be eligible to apply for a residential care subsidy.

Eligibility for a residential care subsidy is assessed by the Ministry of Social Development (“MSD”). About 15 years ago MSD changed the asset levels for eligibility for the residential care subsidy. These changes markedly increased the value of assets that an applicant could retain and still be eligible for the subsidy. However, MSD then became more vigilant to ensure that when an applicant had resources available to them, those resources are used before seeking financial support from the state.

MSD, in determining whether someone is eligible for the subsidy, assesses each applicant on the value of their assets and their ability to pay for his/her care. If the applicant’s assets are above the set thresholds, the subsidy will be declined. If your circumstances change in the future, a new application can be submitted.

As at 1 July 2020, the asset limits are:

  • $236,336 for a single or widowed person in care (including the value of their home and car);
  • $236,336 for a couple with both partners in care; and
  • $129,423 for a couple with one partner in care (excluding their home and car). Couples, with one partner in care, can choose to be tested under the $236,336 threshold, but the house and car will not be exempt.

Some assets are excluded from the MSD assessment including household furniture, personal belongings and up to $10,000 per person of pre-paid funeral expenses in a recognised funeral plan.

A contracting out/pre-nuptial agreement between couples does not exclude assets from the assessment. The application is assessed on the basis of assets available to the couple.

Deprivation of assets

In its assessment of financial eligibility, the MSD takes into account ‘’deprivation’’ and excess gifting. Gifting is where assets have been transferred to a trust or to another person for less than their value.

The current gifting limits are assessed per application. These are $6,500 for each 12 month period in the five years before the date of assessment, and $27,000 for each 12 month period prior to this. An application by one person in a couple equates to an application by both of them, that is, $13,500 each. Where an applicant has gifted more than this, the excess gifting is added back as if it were an asset still held by the applicant; and available to pay for care.

Where gifts have been made to a trust, MSD ‘’looks behind’’ the trust to determine whether the applicant is eligible to receive a residential care subsidy from the government. Applicants ‘’are not allowed to preserve their resources for the use of their families or themselves by gifting beyond a permitted limit’’. (Bridgford v MSD CA 122/2013 [2013] NZCA 410 para. 17).

MSD may also determine that deprivation has occurred where assets were gifted away, sold at undervalue, an inheritance is renounced or reduced or where ownership was transferred to a third party. MSD has very broad powers under s 147A of the Social Security Act 1964. What are lawful acts may still be regarded as deprivation.

Income Deprivation

Under the MSD assessment, income earned by the applicant(s) may also be required to be contributed towards the cost of care. At present the first:

  • $1027 per year for single clients; or
  • $2054 for a couple both in care; or
  • $3081 for a couple with only one in care,

is excluded from the contribution. Also, if the applicant has, for a number of years, been receiving income from a trust or another source which stopped when they went into care, this may be viewed by MSD as deprived income and counted back into the asset pool.

What does it mean for trusts?

MSD views the act of settling assets into a trust as an act of deprivation. This is because, by its nature, the settlement of assets into a trust involves the transfer of ownership away from the applicant. The Ministry is concerned with putting the applicant back into the position they would have been in ‘’but for’’ the deprivation.

There are many trusts that hold a single asset, the family home. Under current MSD policy if one of the couple is in care, they own their house and their assets are under the threshold, they will receive the subsidy. However, if a trust owns the house and the couple had exceeded the gifting limits, they may not receive the subsidy.

Example

A couple gifts $27,000 each year for a period of 12 years, equalling a total gift of $628,000, being the value of the house. The last gifts were made 4 years ago. The calculation for assessment would be:

$27,000 x 2 x 1 year = $54,000 - less $6,500 allowed

 

  $47,500

27,000 x 2 x 11 years = $594,000 - less $27,000 allowed each year $297,000

 

$297,000

   

$344,500

MSD will add back $345,000 to the couple's asset pool. They will not be eligible for the subsidy. If the gift had been made in a single gift of $628,000, being the value of the house, again they will not be eligible for the subsidy. Whereas, if a couple owned the same house personally and had $110,000 of other assets, they would, under current MSD policy, receive the subsidy.

It is common for assets to be settled upon a trust through the use of an interest free loan. MSD will view the loan as an asset of the applicant. In the example above, $628,000 (or the ungifted portion of the loan) will be part of the applicant's assets. In addition, uncharged interest may be viewed as deprived income.

MSD may also look at the trust income from a rental property owned by the trust, and determine that this is "deprived income" which must be used to pay for care.

There are many good reasons for setting up a family trust. However, in a situation where an older person wants to settle a family trust in order to qualify for a residential care subsidy, the chances that he/she may end up worse off than if no trust had been settled, are very high.

In some instances, where a trust has been settled, consideration should be given to winding up the trust. Please contact Brookfields if we can assist with your asset planning questions.

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