Michigan Laws 328.229 – Irrevocable prepaid contract approved by family independence agency or department of community health; rules
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(1) A prepaid contract may be made with an applicant for or recipient of assistance under the social welfare act, 1939 PA 280, MCL 400.1 to 400.119b, or a patient or a legal guardian of a patient in a community health care facility under the jurisdiction of the department of community health. If the family independence agency or department of community health determines that the contract is a fully paid guaranteed price contract, and that the proceeds of the contract and the amount of any death benefit from an insurance policy or annuity contract that has been assigned pursuant to section 2080(6) of the insurance code of 1956, 1956 PA 218, MCL 500.2080, as payment for merchandise or funeral or cemetery services for the contract beneficiary are not more than that amount allowed under section 2080(6)(g) of the insurance code of 1956, 1956 PA 218, MCL 500.2080, plus $2,000.00, exclusive of income, and that the state will not be liable for the merchandise or funeral or cemetery services, excluding an outside receptacle when required by the chosen cemetery, of the applicant for or recipient of assistance or patient allowable under contracts under this act, the prepaid contract shall be made irrevocable at the request of the applicant for or recipient of assistance, or the patient or a legal guardian of a patient. Nothing in this section shall be construed as increasing the amount of excludable burial assets for family independence agency or medicaid program eligibility above that allowed under existing family independence agency standards, including any increases in those standards. The family independence agency or department of community health shall advise the applicant for or recipient of assistance, or the patient or a legal guardian of a patient that additional merchandise or funeral or cemetery services subject to contract under this act will not be paid by the family independence agency or department of community health but shall not specify or require approval of particular merchandise or funeral or cemetery services selected by the applicant for or recipient of assistance, or patient or a legal guardian of a patient.
(2) A prepaid contract approved by the family independence agency or department of community health shall not be revoked or canceled by the contract seller, contract provider, contract buyer, or their successors, or the estate of the contract beneficiary either before or after the death of the contract beneficiary. This subsection does not prevent those legally entitled to make arrangements for a contract beneficiary from reallocating the amount paid under the prepaid contract to different funeral or cemetery services and merchandise. A contract seller or provider shall assign an irrevocable prepaid contract to another provider upon the written request of the contract beneficiary, his or her successor, or those legally entitled to make arrangements for the contract beneficiary so long as the written request is received before a provider’s obligations have been performed. An irrevocable contract shall not be considered in determining the eligibility of an applicant or recipient for assistance given under the social welfare act, 1939 PA 280, MCL 400.1 to 400.119b. An irrevocable prepaid contract made under this section is not subject to the cancellation provision of section 13 or to the provisions of section 15(6).
Terms Used In Michigan Laws 328.229
- Annuity: A periodic (usually annual) payment of a fixed sum of money for either the life of the recipient or for a fixed number of years. A series of payments under a contract from an insurance company, a trust company, or an individual. Annuity payments are made at regular intervals over a period of more than one full year.
- Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
- Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. Source: OCC
- Cemetery: means 1, or a combination of more than 1, of the following:
(i) A burial ground for earth interments. See Michigan Laws 328.213Cemetery services: means cremations, grave openings and closings, and installation of grave memorials. See Michigan Laws 328.213 Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed. Contract beneficiary: means an individual specified or implied in a prepaid contract for whom the funeral or cemetery services or merchandise shall be performed or furnished after death. See Michigan Laws 328.213 Contract buyer: means an individual, including a contract beneficiary, who purchases merchandise or funeral or cemetery services pursuant to a prepaid contract. See Michigan Laws 328.213 Contract seller: means a person who sells, makes available, or provides prepaid contracts. See Michigan Laws 328.213 Department: means the department of labor and economic growth. See Michigan Laws 328.213 Funds: means all money or other consideration actually received from a contract buyer by a contract seller or provider or an assignee from the contract buyer in connection with any aspect of the sale of a prepaid contract, including finance charges, but does not include late payment penalties, payments required to be made to a governmental agency at the time the contract is entered into, or a commission authorized by section 12(1). See Michigan Laws 328.214 Guaranteed price contract: means a prepaid contract under which funds received are held pursuant to an escrow agreement. See Michigan Laws 328.214 Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs. Income: means the money earned by the investment of the principal, including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and gains or losses on the sale of, deposit of, or exchange of, property using invested principal amounts. See Michigan Laws 328.214 Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases. merchandise: means both of the following:
(i) Cemetery burial vaults or other outside containers, grave memorials, and urns. See Michigan Laws 328.214Nonguaranteed price contract: means a prepaid contract under which funds received are held pursuant to an escrow agreement between a contract seller or provider and a contract buyer and are applied to the cost of the merchandise or funeral or cemetery services, which merchandise or funeral or cemetery services may be selected by the contract buyer at the time the contract is signed or as selected by a person legally authorized to procure merchandise or funeral or cemetery services at the time of death of the contract beneficiary. See Michigan Laws 328.215 Prepaid contract: means a contract requiring payment in advance for funeral or cemetery services or merchandise, physical delivery and retention of which would occur after death under a guaranteed price contract or a nonguaranteed price contract. See Michigan Laws 328.215 Provider: means any person who furnishes or agrees to furnish merchandise or funeral or cemetery services pursuant to a prepaid contract, whether or not that person is the contract seller. See Michigan Laws 328.215 state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories belonging to the United States; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the district and territories. See Michigan Laws 8.3o
(3) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this act, funds paid in connection with an irrevocable prepaid contract may, at the option of the provider, be held and deposited in the manner prescribed for a nonguaranteed price contract.
(4) The family independence agency and department of community health may promulgate rules under the administrative procedures act of 1969, 1969 PA 306, MCL 24.201 to 24.328, to provide for the uniform administration of this section.