Section 71-5-1304 - Processing of applications - Funding - Determination of grantApplications shall be processed by the department on a first come, first served basis and are subject to the amount annually appropriated for this program in the general appropriations act. Based on the application, the department shall calculate a projected annual nursing home expense for the individual, which shall be the average per diem nursing home expense for the days claimed times three hundred sixty-five (365) days. The projected annual nursing home expense shall be deducted from the prior year's annual income certified by the patient. The remainder shall be the adjusted annual income for purposes of this grant. The amount of the daily grant shall be determined as follows:
(1) The amount of the payments made pursuant to this part shall be based upon adjusted annual income;(2) Adjusted annual income for the purposes of determining eligibility must not exceed three hundred fifty percent (350%) of the federal poverty guidelines for an individual as published annually by the United States department of health and human services for determining medicaid eligibility;(3) Individual payments under this part for adjusted annual incomes ranging from zero dollars ($0.00) to an amount calculated to be one hundred eighty-five percent (185%) of the individual poverty guidelines is six dollars and fifty cents ($6.50) per day;(4) Maximum individual payments under this part for adjusted annual incomes ranging from one hundred eighty-six percent (186%) to three hundred fifty percent (350%) of the individual poverty guidelines are not to exceed six dollars ($6.00) per day, as determined by rules and regulations promulgated by the commissioner of health in order to meet the sums annually appropriated for this program.