Montana

What counts as the estate

53-6-167. Recovery of medicaid benefits after recipient's death. (1) Except as provided in subsection (7) or (9)(b), after the death of a recipient, the department shall execute and present a claim against the recipient's estate, within the time specified in the published notice to creditors in the estate proceeding, for the total amount of recoverable medical assistance paid to or on behalf of the recipient. The department is not required to initiate probate proceedings in order to present a claim in a case in which no proceeding has been commenced to probate the estate of the deceased recipient. (2) Except as prohibited by subsection (9)(b), after the death of a recipient, the department may execute and present a claim against a person who has received property of the recipient by distribution or survival for an amount equal to the recoverable medical assistance paid on behalf of the recipient or the value of the property received by the person from the recipient by distribution or survival, whichever is less.

Survivor protections

(b) The department may not recover under this section while there is a surviving spouse of the recipient or while there is a surviving child of the recipient who is under 21 years of age, blind, or permanently and totally disabled. This subsection (9)(b) does not preclude the department from recovering from the recipient's estate after the death of the surviving spouse or child.

Undue hardship waiver

(8) (a) Upon presentation or assertion of a claim by the department under this section, the personal representative of the estate or another affected person may apply to the department, in accordance with procedures established by department rule, for a waiver of recovery based on undue hardship. The department shall waive its recovery under this section in whole or in part if it determines that recovery would result in undue hardship as defined by department rule.