Medicare doesn't pay for mom's nursing care, but her own SS funds and Medicaid does pay and it pays directly to the nursing home ordinarily.
I am afraid you are lacking in the basics and should not have been appointed as your mother's POA. It is a legal obligation, the violation of which can get you put in the slammer for elder abuse. Please resign your position and tell Mom that you are too lacking in information to be able to do this duty of POA.
A POA DOES pay for expert legal advice, so you could attend an hour with an elder law attorney in your area, to ask how to do POA work, but given that it is difficult, involves much account work with bank officers and the ability to pay bills and keep meticulous files and records of every single penny of your mother's coming into her accounts and moving out of them...................just too big of a learning curve.
Being POA is a "fiduciary duty under the law" and is held to the highest levels. You are responsible to know and understand all I have said and so very much more. Please tell mom that well-meaning as you are you are not capable to doing POA for her.
And in short, no, you cannot TOUCH a single penny of your mother's money for yourself or anyone else other than to pay her bills and pay for her needs. A POA cannot under the law "enrich himself" and if he does he can be jailed for elder abuse.
If there is ANY possibility that you will have to apply for Medicaid ANY and ALL of her money should be spent for her, for her care. Some of the things that might qualify Pre pay her funeral Does she need glasses, dental work, orthotics? Clothing If she still has a house or other assets that will need to be sold, repairs should be made. But paying insurance, property taxes. If she still owns it it still needs to be maintained.
You should not be making purchases that will benefit you or other members of the family.
Are you in the process of applying for Medicaid to pay for her NH care? If so, you can not spend any of her money on you. It must be spent on her. For me, my Mom had 20k. I use it for 2 months in her NH and the 3rd month Medicaid took over. You can get a prepaid funeral trust. I would talk to a Medicaid caseworker to see how u can spend down Moms money.
Is she still on Medicare and trying to spend down her money to get on Medicaid? If so, the money has to go to paying for her care and her home/living expenses. It sounds like she is saying for you to spend the money yourself. If you do that it will be considered “gifting”, and you will end up responsible for the number of days of care for mom that the gifted money would have covered.
We don't have enough information from you to give you guidance on your question.
If she qualified for Medicaid, what money does she still have to spend? It varies by state but Medicaid will take all but $90 of one's monthly SS check. You don't want to do anything that causes her to lose this aid.
FYI Medicare doesn't pay for custodial care in a facility, only medical needs.
Are you referring to the "spend down" of her assets so that she does qualify for Medicaid? You question doesn't really make sense. Please provide more info.
I am afraid you are lacking in the basics and should not have been appointed as your mother's POA.
It is a legal obligation, the violation of which can get you put in the slammer for elder abuse.
Please resign your position and tell Mom that you are too lacking in information to be able to do this duty of POA.
A POA DOES pay for expert legal advice, so you could attend an hour with an elder law attorney in your area, to ask how to do POA work, but given that it is difficult, involves much account work with bank officers and the ability to pay bills and keep meticulous files and records of every single penny of your mother's coming into her accounts and moving out of them...................just too big of a learning curve.
Being POA is a "fiduciary duty under the law" and is held to the highest levels. You are responsible to know and understand all I have said and so very much more.
Please tell mom that well-meaning as you are you are not capable to doing POA for her.
And in short, no, you cannot TOUCH a single penny of your mother's money for yourself or anyone else other than to pay her bills and pay for her needs. A POA cannot under the law "enrich himself" and if he does he can be jailed for elder abuse.
Some of the things that might qualify
Pre pay her funeral
Does she need glasses, dental work, orthotics?
Clothing
If she still has a house or other assets that will need to be sold, repairs should be made. But paying insurance, property taxes. If she still owns it it still needs to be maintained.
You should not be making purchases that will benefit you or other members of the family.
If she qualified for Medicaid, what money does she still have to spend? It varies by state but Medicaid will take all but $90 of one's monthly SS check. You don't want to do anything that causes her to lose this aid.
FYI Medicare doesn't pay for custodial care in a facility, only medical needs.
Are you referring to the "spend down" of her assets so that she does qualify for Medicaid? You question doesn't really make sense. Please provide more info.