My mom was admitted to the nursing home on May 18 and passed away on July 12. She has about $4,000 left in her checking account and a car worth maybe $1,000.
So far, I have not yet received a bill from the nursing home and no determination was made on her Medicaid. Planning her funeral was fairly quick and easy because she left written directions and paid a large chuck of the costs years ago. There were a few things she didn't select in advance and the added costs will be about $1,200.
She was receiving Medicaid home services prior to going into the nursing home. Medicaid will only recover a couple thousand plus the car if they demand it be sold. She deeded her house to me in 2008, so a lawyer told me it would be like she didn't have a house.
The only thing her will is good for is to make me Executor of her estate, write a couple checks if I need to, sell her car and we a finished, the estate will be insolvent.
A couple years ago my mom thought her car would be worth $2,000, so that's what she listed on the paperwork. Local dealer tells me I might be lucky to get $1,000 for it due to miles and age. It needs a new fuel pump and radiator hose so it can be driven. There is no way anyone will give me $1,000 for the car needing work. I would like to buy it, but I don't currently have the money to pay $1,000 for the car and fix it.
Will they tell me how much the car has to sell for? Will they demand the car be sold? What's left of her checking account after the funeral expenses plus the car won't cover one month of nursing home costs. We don't even know 100% that I get to keep the house.
How long should I wait before doing anything with the will?
Even with basic "one checking account and some plaster ducks" wills it's accepted that they can take several months to get finally tidied away. You lost your mother three days ago.
I can understand the longing for it all to be over, so that you can at last find out if you're on your head or your heels, but don't try to do it all at once. Do you have a contact number for your Medicaid provider? - they probably have a bereavement team who can help with questions like this, don't they?