Spore, www.nelf.org is where we found a certified elder law attorney in AZ.
Please be careful, we found many attorneys that listed themselves as elder law, not on nelf, and they were hugely over priced and NOT really elder law attorneys. It is a massive industry that has attracted the bottom feeders that use fear to sell their over priced services.
Why do you feel you need a lawyer? My Mom had a house and 20k when I applied for Medicaid 4 yrs ago. I went to my local Social Services and talked to a caseworker. He actually did the application and asked me questions. I did have a lawyer but it was mainly for the house. There was a problem in allowing my disabled nephew to stay there and getting Market Value for a rundown house that was getting worse as the months went by. He also helped get Mom into a LTC facility. But I did the spending down and getting the info needed for the caseworker and keeping on top of it.
As Barb said, when a Community Spouse is involved then a lawyer may need to be involved because it entails splitting of assets. A house is an exempt asset at time you apply for Medicaid. If there are no other assets and the person has less than 2k (in my state) in assets, then the application should be fairly easy.
With my Mom she had 20k in assets. I applied for Medicaid in April. She was placed in LTC May 1st. The 20k paid for May and June, spending her down, and July 1st Medicaid started.
Make sure the lawyer you get is very well versed in Medicaid. Fees are according to where you live. For me, it cost 5k.
If you or your LO do not have a lot of complicated assets or properties or bank accounts, then the app is not that difficult to fill out. You will need to know SS number, date of birth, address, recent medical bills, banking statements, whether they own a car, if they rent or own a home. If they've been working with any social workers the app would need their case number.
You can download a copy of the app from their website and can "practice" filling it out. If the person won't sign and they are competent, then the app cannot be submitted. But if they are cognitively or physically incompetent then a representative can sign it for them (and doesn't need to be a PoA, at least in my state).
FYI Medicaid has a "look-back" period of financial investigation, anywhere from 2.5 to 5 years so it matters a great deal how the applicant has been managing their funds so that none of it looks like "gifting". It's important to have a very good paper trail of explanation and proofs of what their money was spent on.
Please be careful, we found many attorneys that listed themselves as elder law, not on nelf, and they were hugely over priced and NOT really elder law attorneys. It is a massive industry that has attracted the bottom feeders that use fear to sell their over priced services.
As Barb said, when a Community Spouse is involved then a lawyer may need to be involved because it entails splitting of assets. A house is an exempt asset at time you apply for Medicaid. If there are no other assets and the person has less than 2k (in my state) in assets, then the application should be fairly easy.
With my Mom she had 20k in assets. I applied for Medicaid in April. She was placed in LTC May 1st. The 20k paid for May and June, spending her down, and July 1st Medicaid started.
Make sure the lawyer you get is very well versed in Medicaid. Fees are according to where you live. For me, it cost 5k.
You need someone who knows how to appeal for the maximum that the CS is entitled to.
You can download a copy of the app from their website and can "practice" filling it out. If the person won't sign and they are competent, then the app cannot be submitted. But if they are cognitively or physically incompetent then a representative can sign it for them (and doesn't need to be a PoA, at least in my state).
FYI Medicaid has a "look-back" period of financial investigation, anywhere from 2.5 to 5 years so it matters a great deal how the applicant has been managing their funds so that none of it looks like "gifting". It's important to have a very good paper trail of explanation and proofs of what their money was spent on.
https://www.agingcare.com/articles/how-to-select-an-elder-law-attorney-198738.htm
https://www.agingcare.com/local/elder-law-attorneys
Another resource:
https://www.carearizona.org/list18_az_elder_law_attorneys_lawyers_medicaid_advice.htm