The New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services issued Medicaid Communication No. 26-05 on June 11, 2026. The communication announces annual adjustments to the Community Spouse Maintenance Allowance (CSRA), shelter threshold, and related figures under N.J.A.C. 10:71-5.7, effective July 1, 2026. These figures govern how much of an institutionalized spouse's income may be set aside to support the spouse remaining in the community.
Key updated figures effective July 1, 2026:
- Community spouse base maintenance allowance: Increased from $2,643.75 to $2,705.00 per month.
- Excess shelter cost threshold: Increased from $793.13 to $811.50 per month. Shelter costs above this amount are added to the base allowance.
- Standard utility allowance: Remains $878.00 per month (effective October 1, 2025), applicable where the community spouse directly pays utility charges.
- Community spouse resource allowance: Unchanged. The greater of $32,532 or one-half of the couple's countable resources, not to exceed $162,660.
- Home equity maximum: Unchanged at $1,130,000.
The Community Spouse Maintenance Allowance is calculated by starting with the $2,705.00 base, adding any shelter costs exceeding $811.50 (including the $878.00 utility allowance if directly paid), and then subtracting the community spouse's own gross income. The result is the amount that may be deducted from the institutionalized spouse's income before applying it to the cost of care.
The full communication, including a fact sheet with computation examples, is available here.