Applying for MassHealth long-term care benefits to pay for nursing home care in Massachusetts, is an arduous process that requires quite a bit of supporting documentation. MassHealth can review up to five years’ worth of bank statements (the look-back period) to determine if an applicant has made any disqualifying transfers. That’s a lot of paper, and banks customarily charge fees for this service which can add up fast. Fortunately, Massachusetts law requires banks to provide this information free of charge if the information has been requested for a MassHealth application.
In order to help banks comply with this law, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services has prepared pre-signed letters that can be completed by or on behalf of the MassHealth applicant and given to their bank representative. There is a different version of the letter for each of the four MassHealth offices in Massachusetts. Applicants should use the one addressed to the office that their application has been filed with: Revere, Springfield, Taunton or Tewksbury.
While it appears to be a requirement of these letters that a MassHealth application be already filed, banks will often comply with the request beforehand. In order to make sure the bank is compliant, applicants would be best served by having the records sent to them directly, or to their representative, rather than being sent directly to the MassHealth Enrollment Center.
