Medicaid

Medicaid: Common Abbreviations and Definitions

CMS: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Community Spouse The spouse of an institutionalized spouse. 42 U.S.C. § 1396r-5(h)(2).
CSMIA: Community Spouse Monthly Income Allowance. This is the amount of the institutionalized spouse’s income that is diverted, if necessary, to bring the community spouse’s income up to the MMMNA.
CSRA: Community Spouse Resource Allowance.
DRA: Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, effective February 8, 2005.
HCFA: Health Care Financing Administration, predecessor to CMS.
HCFA 64: HCFA 64 or Transmittal 64 refers to Sections 3257 through 3259 of the State Medicaid Manual, which relate to Medicaid eligibility.
Institutionalized Spouse: An individual who is in a medical institution or nursing facility and who is married to a spouse who is not in a medical institution or nursing facility. 42 U.S.C. § 1396r-5(h)(1).
MCCA: Medicare Catastrophic Care Act of 1988, Pub.L. No. 100-360, 102 Stat. 683. The principal section of this Act applicable to Medicaid beneficiaries is 42 U.S.C. § 1396r-5.
MMMNA: Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance. An amount determined by each State, within federal guidelines, which is deemed sufficient for a community spouse to live at a modest level after the institutionalized spouse becomes eligible for Medicaid.
OBRA: Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, or OBRA 93.
POMS: Refers to the SSA’s Program Operations Manual System.
SSA: Social Security Administration.
SSDI: Social Security Disability Insurance, a program which is not means-tested providing cash assistance for disabled workers.
SSI: Supplemental Security Income, a means-tested program providing cash assistance for food, clothing and shelter.