My grandmother was on medicaid but it was recently denied due to property she owns that is worth 12,000. She is disabled and needs nursing home care but we can't afford to pay for it. What are my options?
Find out if there is some type of exemption for the property if you make a valid effort to sell it and are unable to dispose it of. State laws may make an exception. ...find out about it your state.
Is grannie in a facility & on medicaid? If so, ASAP read the ineligibility notice to see if Medicaid is doing a clawback on her eligibility and therefore on any payments by medicaid. If that is the case, its financial crisis time. Try to call a family meeting to figure out how to deal with her bill at the NH (as NH is going to need for someone to sign off on financial responsibility). Plus selling the property as Pam suggested. Needs to be sold at FMV too.
I'm in that same situation with my dad & the state said either sign the property over to them or sell it and exhaust the money but once it's gone the state wants to know where the funds went.. its way too much people work hard to have things but can't have zero when they need help... smh
Lynder - out of curiosity, did the state actually say in a letter that dad could sign over a property that he owns to the state? Did state provide a document to do this?
Medicaid by & large has it so that their homestead is an exempt asset for medicaid for their lifetime. House does not need to be sold for them to be eligible as long as all other requirements are met. However if they go onto NH Medicaid, all their income must be paid to the NH as the required co-pay or SOC (share of cost). So they usually sell the home and then spend-down till financially eligible for Medicaid (basically impoverished). But elder could continue to own the home with family paying all property costs if it could make sense to do so if the heirs could qualify for exemptions or exclusions to estate recovery and they can afford to do.
I feel you need to speak to an eldercare attorney. My understanding is that if there is a spouse, the spouse can live in the house until death. After that, it gets complicated and you'd need professional advice. However, if there is only one spouse and he/she is living in the house and you apply for Medicaid, then the house must be sold, assets exhausted (by paying for care). In other words, person on Medicaid CANNOT HAVE ANY ASSETS OVER THE TOTAL OF $2,000. It stinks but that is the law.
I live in New Hampshire and was a live in caregiver for my mom for over two years before she had to enter a NH. I thought at that point she was near the end of life. She didn't have much money but did have a house. I paid out of pocket for almost a year before applying for Medicaid. I hired an attorney who deals with elder law and it made the process easier. Because I was a live in caregiver for over two years, the house could be deeded to me. Out of her SSI check, her supplemental health insurance and $70 for personal items is taken. The NH gets the rest. It's imperative to keep the assets below what the state requires or they can stop the Medicaid until it does. Good luck.
I just went thru the same thing with my moms property I bought it and then life insurance policy my mom had on me affected it also I advise u to talk to an elderly attorney that is what I did since each state is different but I was able to take money to funeral home and give to them
The only other comment I would make to the above is get yourself an elder care attorney and/or a good care manager. I don't know why government programs force you to pay into it all your working life and then make things so difficult when you need to use the benefit. But it is what it is. With everything I am going through with my mom, I really feel like the government thinks that the majority of taxpayers are stupid. Which is infuriating in and of itself. The system would appear to be set up in a way that is so confusing you have to hire attorneys to figure it out. So therefore it becomes necessary to get an attorney involved so that you know what your mom's rights are and don't let the system rip her off. I'm normally a very optimistic person and would like to believe the system will be there when I need it, but I can say from personal experience, if I didn't hire an attorney and an awesome care manager, my mom would not have gotten the benefits she was entitled to. Best of luck. Don't give up, keep pushing forward. You can and will get the answers that you need. Take care of yourself.
There may be options open for your grandmother to restore her eligibility for Medicaid, but more information is needed to help.
Does your grandmother have a prepaid funeral or burial contract? An irrevocable burial account? Other medical expenses?
Non countable assets and care expenses can be applied to excess assets, but you can't be sure about all the options until you talk with an Elder Law Attorney in your state.
You can get the answers you need from an advice and counsel you get from an advisor who has helped others.
If so, ASAP read the ineligibility notice to see if Medicaid is doing a clawback on her eligibility and therefore on any payments by medicaid. If that is the case, its financial crisis time. Try to call a family meeting to figure out how to deal with her bill at the NH (as NH is going to need for someone to sign off on financial responsibility). Plus selling the property as Pam suggested. Needs to be sold at FMV too.
Did state provide a document to do this?
Medicaid by & large has it so that their homestead is an exempt asset for medicaid for their lifetime. House does not need to be sold for them to be eligible as long as all other requirements are met. However if they go onto NH Medicaid, all their income must be paid to the NH as the required co-pay or SOC (share of cost). So they usually sell the home and then spend-down till financially eligible for Medicaid (basically impoverished). But elder could continue to own the home with family paying all property costs if it could make sense to do so if the heirs could qualify for exemptions or exclusions to estate recovery and they can afford to do.
Best of luck. Don't give up, keep pushing forward. You can and will get the answers that you need. Take care of yourself.
Does your grandmother have a prepaid funeral or burial contract? An irrevocable burial account? Other medical expenses?
Non countable assets and care expenses can be applied to excess assets, but you can't be sure about all the options until you talk with an Elder Law Attorney in your state.
You can get the answers you need from an advice and counsel you get from an advisor who has helped others.