A resident’s personal needs allowance is an amount required to be deducted from the computation of a resident’s patient liability to be used for the purchase of goods and services of the individual’s choosing that are not covered under Medicare or Medicaid. Personal Need Allowance (PNA) Accounts and Other Resident Funds for Nursing Facilities (NFs)” paragraph (B)(2) states
that “The PNA account is the exclusive property of the resident, who may use the funds in the account as he or she chooses to meet personal needs.”(emphasis added) Examples of items and services that the resident may request which would be chargeable to their PNA account includes, but is not limited to, items such as personal clothing, reading materials, and social events or entertainment offered outside of the facility’s activities program.
Though not required to, the resident may request the assistance of the NF to manage their PNA account. If the resident requests such assistance through written authorization, the funds still remain the property of the resident to use as they choose and are to be released, up to and including the resource limit amount, to that resident upon discharge. OAC 5101:3-3-16.5(G)(2) specifically states that “Other than for items and services that the resident has requested and that may be charged to the resident’s PNA account in accordance with this rule, a NF provider shall not withhold PNA account funds to pay any outstanding balance a resident owes the provider at the time of discharge.”(emphasis added) Likewise, upon the death of the resident, the balance of the resident’s PNA funds become a part of the deceased resident’s estate.
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