(a) In accordance with Section 6021 of the Federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, there is established the Georgia Qualified Long-term Care Partnership Program which shall be administered by the Department of Community Health, with the assistance of the Commissioner and the Department of Human Services, and which shall be for the following purposes:

(1) To provide incentives for individuals to insure against the costs of providing for their long-term care needs;

(2) To provide a mechanism for individuals to qualify for coverage of the cost of their long-term care needs under the state Medicaid program without first being required to substantially exhaust their resources;

(3) To provide counseling services through the Division of Aging Services of the Department of Human Services to individuals in planning of their long-term care needs; and

(4) To alleviate the financial burden on the state's Medicaid program by encouraging the pursuit of private initiatives.

(b) Upon the exhaustion of benefits or upon the diminishment of assets below the anticipated remaining benefits under a Georgia Qualified Long-term Care Partnership Program approved policy, certain assets of an individual, as provided in subsection (c) of this Code section, shall not be considered when determining any of the following:

(1) Medicaid eligibility;

(2) The amount of any Medicaid payment; and

(3) Any subsequent recovery by the state of a payment for medical services.

(c) The department shall:

(1) Not later than November 15, 2006, make application to the federal Department of Health and Human Services for a state plan amendment to establish that the assets an individual owns and may retain under Medicaid and still qualify for benefits under Medicaid at the time the individual applies for benefits is increased dollar for dollar for each dollar paid out under the individual's long-term care insurance policy if the individual is the beneficiary of a qualified long-term care insurance partnership policy purchased through the Georgia Qualified Long-term Care Partnership Program; and

(2) Provide information and technical assistance to the Commissioner to assure that any individual who sells a qualified long-term care insurance partnership policy receives training and demonstrates evidence of an understanding of such policies and how they relate to other public and private coverage of long-term care.