Your state's pack. New issue every Monday. Bookmark it. I built this for the Hawaii T&E solo who knows the HRS ch. 560 probate code cold but still loses an afternoon a week tracking the moving Med-QUEST pieces.
For licensed attorneys. This pack is general legal information and professional commentary for practicing attorneys — it is not legal advice, does not apply to any specific matter, and creates no attorney-client relationship. Verify every authority against the cited primary source before relying on it with a client. Published by Mike Moss, a Utah-admitted attorney, as an AI-enablement information product; it is not an offer of legal services and is not a representation that the author is admitted to practice in your jurisdiction.
Three developments I think actually matter to a Hawaii T&E solo. Each has a read that lands on your practice specifically — and each comes with a reachable citation so you can verify it yourself before you use it with a client.
For 2026 Hawaii applies the higher $1,130,000 home-equity limit; its minimum monthly maintenance needs allowance (MMNA) floor is elevated to $3,040.00 (vs. the $2,643.75 federal baseline). The MMNA maximum is the federal $4,066.50.
Hawaii's real-estate values make the higher equity limit decisive, and the elevated MMNA changes community-spouse income math. Flag the 2028 OBBBA $1,000,000 cap now.
42 U.S.C. § 1396p · CMS 2026 Spousal Impoverishment Standards (medicaid.gov)
The Uniform Real Property Transfer on Death Act is codified at HRS ch. 527; HRS § 527-13 governs the transfer at the transferor's death.
A probate-avoidance tool the Hawaii solo can reach for — but a TOD deed does not protect the home from Med-QUEST estate recovery. The funded revocable trust still does the recovery work.
HRS § 527-13 · capitol.hawaii.gov / law.justia.com
The DHS Med-QUEST Division recovers long-term-care costs paid after age 55, primarily against the home, deferred while a surviving spouse, minor, or disabled child remains.
The recovery target in Hawaii is almost always the residence. Structure the home out of the reachable estate early; the deferral rules buy timing, not a permanent shield.
Hawaii Med-QUEST (DHS MQD) · medquest.hawaii.gov
This week in Hawaii for the T&E solo with Medicaid-planning clients: what the Hawaii State Bar Association, the Probate Court, and Med-QUEST put in front of you.
The HSBA CLE calendar, the Probate and Estate Planning Section, and the Med-QUEST bulletins all publish on different schedules. This is that sift, already done, with the link on each item.