No assets, therefore, will be attributed to the institutionalized spouse. The exact rules for attributing a couple's assets vary from state to state, some being more generous than others. There are, however, a federal minimum and maximum CSRA to which all states must adhere. The community spouse always keeps the first few thousand dollars. Between the minimum and the maximum figures, states can use a variety of methods to allocate assets.
Some states allow the community spouse to keep all countable assets up to the federal maximum.
Only assets above that amount are attributed to the institutionalized spouse. Other states use more complicated formulas. Many states, for example, do not increase the community spouse's share above the minimum amount until an equal amount has been attributed to the institutionalized spouse. If the couple has more than double the minimum CSRA, additional assets are divided equally between the spouses until the maximum CSRA has been attributed to the community spouse. All assets in excess of this total are attributed to the institutionalized spouse.