A woman’s decision to renounce money obtained through the dispersal of a trust can be considered a transfer of assets that can affect her eligibility for Medicaid’s medical assistance long-term care program, the Commonwealth Court has ruled.
In an issue of apparent first impression, a three-judge panel of the court determined that Dorothy Schell, the plaintiff in Schell v. Department of Public Welfare, was temporarily ineligible for assistance under the program after she renounced more than $100,000 that was given to her after a trust naming her as the sole beneficiary was dispersed.
