T&E Solo Pack · Missouri · Week Of May 25, 2026

Missouri.

Your state's pack. New issue every Monday. Bookmark it. I built this for the Missouri T&E solo who knows the Probate Code cold but still loses an afternoon a week tracking the moving MO HealthNet 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.

MO
Missouri · Show-Me State
UPC — No (own Probate Code, ch. 472–475)
Community Property — No (common law)
LTC — MO HealthNet (DSS)
Estate Recovery — Probate-only
T&E Solo Pack Built for Missouri attorneys
The Big Three · Week Of May 25, 2026

Here's what I'd want you to see from last week.

Three developments I think actually matter to a Missouri 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.

01

MO HealthNet estate recovery runs through the probate estate.

Under RSMo § 473.398, MO HealthNet is recovered as a probate claim with class-6 priority per RSMo § 473.397; the personal representative must obtain a release from the MO HealthNet Division before closing a probate estate. Note: under RSMo § 461.300, MO HealthNet may also reach non-probate transfers (including beneficiary-deed property) within one year of death, so 'probate-only' is incomplete for MO.

Recovery is tied to probate, so the beneficiary deed and funded trust are the planning levers — keep the home out of probate and you keep it out of the class-6 queue, subject to look-back rules.

RSMo §§ 473.397 (class-6 priority), 473.398 (recovery), 461.300 (non-probate reach) · revisor.mo.gov

02

Missouri pioneered the beneficiary deed — it's your core probate-avoidance tool.

Missouri's beneficiary deed (RSMo § 461.025) lets an owner name a grantee who takes title at death without probate; it needs no consideration or delivery and can even transfer to a trust.

Because Missouri recovery is probate-only, the beneficiary deed pulls the home out of the recoverable estate. Missouri was the first state to enact this (1989) — use it deliberately alongside the look-back analysis.

RSMo § 461.025 · revisor.mo.gov

03

The 2026 federal figures are set.

Maximum CSRA is $162,660 (minimum $32,532); Missouri applies the standard $752,000 home-equity limit (not the higher tier).

Two places this lands: community-spouse protection math and high-value-home clients. Flag the 2028 H.R. 1 flat $1,000,000 home-equity cap now.

42 U.S.C. § 1396p · CMS 2026 Standards (medicaid.gov)

Week Of May 25, 2026

This week.

This week in Missouri for the T&E solo with MO HealthNet-planning clients: what The Missouri Bar, the Legislature, and the DSS / MO HealthNet manuals put in front of you.

The Missouri Bar CLE calendar, the Probate & Trust Committee, and the DSS manuals all publish on different schedules. This is that sift, already done, with the link on each item.