If they have assets that are valuable (furs, boats, campers/RVs, antiques of high value), they can definitely be counted by Medicaid, if that's what you're asking. Medicaid states right on their application that you must state all assets, including anything mentioned above (furs, etc). Good rule of thumb: if they could be sold for any amount, they are an asset that can be counted. For Medicaid purposes, you are really only allowed to have the home you lived in, and a vehicle. Vacation properties, recreational vehicles, boats, furs, jewelry, IRAs, retirement accounts - all are considered assets.
A little something to add that is important -- IRAs are not countable if they are in pay-out mode. That means at least one distribution has been taken. However, distributions taken from the IRA will be counted as income while someone is receiving Medicaid, and any residual amount in the account will go to the state after a person dies.
An IRA is considered in pay-out mode even if one required minimum distribution has been made.
Let me follow that up with a warning: if this is for Medicaid purposes, DON'T sell anything, change ownership or give anything away until eligibility for Medicaid is determined. If approved for Medicaid with a spend-down, you will need to account for every penny of the spend-down. Medicaid does a 5-year lookback to see if any assets have been divested - in other words, if you've sold, transferred or given away anything of value.
Prime example: my father sold my son his decrepit old van for $300, but the van broke down and was undriveable (and not fixable) before my son paid for it. Dad said not to pay him anything for it, because he felt bad that it had broken down immediately like that. We had a junkyard haul it away. Dad ended up on Medicaid just a few months later. We had to get a notarized statement from the junkyard owner showing that the van had a $0 value when they picked it up, and had to give that to Medicaid to prove that Dad had not divested an asset of any value.
If they will worry about a broken down old van with no value, they will *definitely* want to know about the coins, antiques, etc - especially if you try to sell or give them away.
An IRA is considered in pay-out mode even if one required minimum distribution has been made.
Prime example: my father sold my son his decrepit old van for $300, but the van broke down and was undriveable (and not fixable) before my son paid for it. Dad said not to pay him anything for it, because he felt bad that it had broken down immediately like that. We had a junkyard haul it away. Dad ended up on Medicaid just a few months later. We had to get a notarized statement from the junkyard owner showing that the van had a $0 value when they picked it up, and had to give that to Medicaid to prove that Dad had not divested an asset of any value.
If they will worry about a broken down old van with no value, they will *definitely* want to know about the coins, antiques, etc - especially if you try to sell or give them away.