An Act To Amend The Laws Regarding Estate Recovery And Planning For Long-Term Care

This bill changes Maine's estate recovery process for long-term care under MaineCare. It requires the state to refund the portion of recovered funds after deducting collection costs and federal Medicaid payments (effective January 2026), directly affecting estates of deceased MaineCare recipients. It lowers the evidence standard for asset transfers from "clear and convincing" to "preponderance of evidence" when proving transfers weren't made solely for Medicaid eligibility. The bill also mandates new educational materials for the public about estate recovery, long-term care planning, and family caregiver reimbursement programs, to be published by January 2026.