N.J. Stat. § 30:4-60.2
Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, whenever the term "estate" appears in any provision of Chapter 4 of Title 30 of the Revised Statutes for the purpose of describing the mechanism for satisfying or contributing to the costs of maintaining a patient, the term shall mean and include only those payments made directly to the State or county by the patient or his legally responsible relative, payments made on behalf of a deceased patient, payments made on behalf of the patient to the State or county in its capacity as a representative of the patient, or payments made on behalf of the patient to the State or county in its capacity as a representative of the patient and which would otherwise be due and payable directly to the patient. No other payments to the State, regardless of their source or the circumstances of their receipt, shall be considered to be a part of the patient's estate.
As used in this section, "patient" includes a person over the age of 18 who has been admitted to, but not discharged from, a short-term care or psychiatric facility and a developmentally disabled person of any age who is receiving functional services from the Division of Developmental Disabilities.
N.J.S. § 30:4-60.2