8120 Assistance Planning - As with independent living, assistance planning refers to the concept of defining who assistance is being requested for and determining eligibility based on that request. For long term care arrangements, all individuals shall have a separate assistance plan except in the following situations.

1. Persons who are temporarily admitted to a general hospital per  8112.3(3) fora period not to exceed the month of entrance and the following two months as indicated in 8113. 

2. Persons whose income is being considered available to an eligible spouse. See  8143(2).  

3. Persons whose spouse is in the same institution and one spouse's income falls below the $62 personal needs allowance. This provision permits the couple to be budgeted together thus providing a total $124 needs allowance of which up to $62 can be provided to the spouse with insufficient income.

4. Persons who fail the 300% special income test described in 7430(4) and whose patient liability (8172.2(2)), client obligation (8270.2(2)) or participant obligation (8320.1) exceeds the cost of care shall be subject to independent living standard, budgeting methodology and base period.