my mother is on now on Medicaid in a nursing home. She lived in a trailer court and needs to sell it since she can't afford the rent. We need to clean it out . How do we dispense the items in the trailer. She has things she wants to give to her six kids and then sell the rest. Is this okay?.
And she doesn't own the land, right?
This probably really depends on what her monthly assets are and what the anticipated income would be from the sale of the trailer and other assets.
I think the Medicaid ceiling for assets is $ 2,020.00 monthly nationwide.
If say she gets only SS and it's 500 a month, then if the trailor sells for 1,500 then she is under the ceiling and all OK. But say it sells for $ over that they she will be disqualified until that happens. The sticky part is how Medicaid will know about the sale - for homes the property is linked to her name and it eventually will come up but for a trailer I don't know. Does she pay property tax on it? If so then it's recorded and will show up eventually.
Whatever the case you don't want to jeapordize her approved Medicaid status.
I agree with everybody to talk to her caseworker. I'd like to add you should have a good idea of what realistically it would sell for. Medicaid just loves paperwork so the "sale" would need to have a true receipt done (with buyer info) and accounting of where the $$ went (bank deposit receipt). You should have an appraisal done so the amount paid is fair or if sold way below comparables indicate why.
If she doesn't have a burial/funeral done, that might be a way for the $ to be used so that it never becomes income. Ask the caseworker.
The temptation is to think that Medicaid won't find out. After Hurricane Katrina, there were NH Medicaid approved elderly who got insurance money.They still had their home but lived in the NH. They had flood or windstorm insurance on the old homestead therefore got an insurance settlement. Well presto surprise about a year later they got letters that they had to show they used the $ to repair or replace on the home OR the money had to go to Medicaid as it was income. Most of these were total clusters to deal with as the home often had family living in it rent free and the insurance money was spent by family members to live on in whatever state they got displaced too....or gran's name was used for FEMA $$ since the house was in her name but she didn't live there. Or the insurance was in her name yet she didn't truly own the house because probate was never done in the past. My point is eventually the money will surface and can be viewed as income and disqualify her. You don't want to go thru the Medicaid application process again.
Good luck.
let us know what the caseworker sez.
Take care,
Carol