Under Minnesota Statute 256B.15
If a person receives Medical
Assistance, upon the person’s
death the amount of Medical
Assistance paid shall be filed
as a Claim against the estate of
the deceased person. These
claims against the estate are to
reimburse the Medical Assistance
program.
Exclusions:
• If a disabled child
lives in the home.
• Individuals under the
age of 55 at the time of
death.(There are some
exceptions.)
• If there is a
surviving spouse
at the time of
death. (Claim
will be filed
after the
spouse’s death.)
These claims take priority over
a will and any wishes of the
deceased.
Real Estate - At the time of
Medical Assistance application,
if there is real estate, a
Medical Lien is placed on the
property. At the time of death,
the County may open a probate
estate in order to sell the
property and reimburse the
Medical Assistance program. Any
proceeds from the sale of the
property that exceed the amount
of Medical Assistance expended
is distributed under the Court’s
supervision to the appropriate
beneficiaries.
The County Human Service Agency
determines eligibility and the
amount of benefits for
individuals applying for child
care assistance, medical
assistance, food benefits, cash
aid or emergency assistance.
After benefits are issued, new
information may indicate that
there is a need to do a
reassessment of eligibility
and/or the benefit amount. A
fraud investigation may be
necessary when:
* An individual in the
community files a report
that they believe
a public assistance recipient is not correctly reporting all their
income, assets, residence, or household composition.
* Conflicting data is
received from other
government agencies.
The Welfare Fraud Investigator
will conduct an investigation in
order to obtain accurate
information and data regarding
the situation in question. The
investigation may reveal
unreported or incorrect
reporting of income, assets,
residence or household
composition. This may result in
the determination of
overpayments of public
assistance benefits and/or
prosecution of fraudulently
obtaining public assistance.
To report possible fraudulent
activities contact (218)
879-4583,
or (877) 400-9895.
Carlton County
Public Health & Human Services
is about strengthening families,
protecting our children and our
seniors, offering hope to those
in crisis and making our
community a stronger, safer &
healthier place for all of us to
live.
