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I live in Texas, which is a community property state. Am I correct that if I win big playing the lottery, it would count as joint income, pretty much eliminating qualifying for Medicaid and forcing nursing home care to be private pay?


I haven't won yet, but just in case.

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I don't live in Texas, but you know you have a statistically better chance of being struck by lightning three times than winning the lottery, right? I hope you're not planning on divorcing your spouse "just in case." ;-)
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You are correct about the statistics, but people keep winning. Someones gotta win.

Anyway, your answer doesn't have anything to do with my question about what winning would do to qualifying for Medicaid.
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Andrew, I thought Dorianne's answer was a good and appropriate one. If you want to gamble on winning, that's obviously your choice, and I wish you luck as that's really the basis of it statistically.

But I think this question is really not a basic one to Medicaid and you might want to do some research on your own. I'm not even sure a Medicaid counselor could advise you as the question is so unique.

If you really are counting on winning, you might want to consider consulting a Medicaid attorney, and if the answer isn't conducive to your plans, consider investing the funds for lottery tickets into even a basic savings account or some type of investment that does provide even a limited return, a guaranteed one.
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This is the OP. Of course I am not counting on winning. But if $1 per week nets me millions, it was a good investment.

For what it is worth, I think a million plus dollar community property prize would put my wife way above the $2000 asset limit in Texas. I was hoping someone would address that single technical point.
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Wouldn't that be a good thing? Win enough money to pay for your wife's care?
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It would be a great thing. I am taking care of her at home at the moment, and will do that as long as I can.
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I believe community property is applicable in terms of divorce. Even in non community property states, spousal assets are taken into account if one is applying for Medicaid.
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If you won one of the big ones you could probably just buy the nursing home - problem solved! lol
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Might as well speak to the attorney now so you are set to win. Many people wait months to claim a winning in order to make proper and wise investments for their situation. So, if you win, see an attorney immediately and remember you heard it here first.😎$$$
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Lol, my answer was pretty reasonable, I feel. I worked for a lottery corporation for a couple of years.  I learned a lot about the odds.  Every adult (who hasn't self-excluded or been banned) has the right to play, and that's cool. But it's gambling, straight up. Gambling is NOT an investment. 

If you're strong enough to gamble only $1 per week, more power to ya, and good luck. I mean it! Just don't count on winning as the solution to any financial problems, and don't plan your future around it. I've seen more people than the lottery corporation would ever admit spend their entire savings (and even embezzle from employers) trying to win enough to fix their situation or to leave to the kids.
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Gambling winnings are reportable, taxable income. So winning will produce a paper trail. Medicaid requires 5 years of financials, so winnings will be found out.

Glad & Dorianne - ages ago when Louisiana started our lottery, there was a huge Public relations build up to the first big $$ winner. Lots of media leading up & all done with the expectation that there would be the flurry of photos & videos of the beyond thrilled winning family. Ala Publishers Clearinghouse tv spots. Photography, film crew, copy & PR flacks all booked and at the ready at moments notice to go capture the happy family & use to sell future lottery sales. Billboards rented across the state, broadcast time booked. Well...... the winning ticket took like forever to even come forward to claim it as they were setting up an Inc / LLC to be “the winner” which in turn fed the funds into trusts. And for even more fun, all media requests had to go through the law firm in New Orleans that did the legal. A total bust from a PR Perspective.
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I live in NJ but I know a couple who inherited $60,000. When it came time for the Mr to go to a nursing home, the money was split in half so 3OK was used for private pay then Medicaid kicked in. Now, the problem arose that the Mrs still had her will that he got everything. She passed first. So her half of the 30K went to his care. Her daughter wonders if her Mom could have changed her will so the kids inherited. That way Medicaid would not have stopped until her half was used up. So lets say you win a million. Medicaid would determine half of those winnings were hers and that would go towards her care until u spent down to 2000 or under. If you win a large amount, I would consult a lawyer to see how u could protect it.
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This is the OP. The consensus of answers that addressed my question seems to be that winning the lottery would affect when Medicaid kicks in. That agrees with my thinking.

Wish me luck that my $1 per week investment pays off well enough that I need to get a legal team to help me deal with everything.
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