Any advice on Medicaid and spend down requirements?

Thanks for all the suggestions and recommendations. I will be seeking an elder care attorney in my state of Virginia.

This message board is a blessing.

Agree with other posts. You are considered a Community spouse. Your financial needs will be considered. You can stay in the home and have one car. My GFs Dad needed LTC. He and wife had received 60k in a settlement. That settlement was split. She kept 30k, he got 30k for his care which has to be spent down. The NH ended up getting it and then he went on Medicaid. Every situation is different so I agree, get a lawyer schooled in Medicaid.

Please heed Marcia’s advice.
Medicaid when there is a community spouse (you) is way way more complex than for an individual widow or widowers LTC Medicaid application and eligibility. Your focus every day is first & foremost on him and rightly so; you cannot be dealing with the nuances of and oodles of paperwork needed for Medicaid. I’m overwhelmed just thinking about it!

Really get with an atty. I’d suggest you get one that is NAELA or CELA level of experience as they will know how to best position a CS for their future and get hubs eligibility thru your states Medicaid application system. If stuff needs to shift, be renamed, Miller trust formed, etc.all this has to, HAS TO, be done BEFORE ever filing his Medicaid application.

Why? Cause Medicaid affixes a “snapshot” day to which all your assets get placed to.

You need to do whatever to max your assets to the CS limit and increase your income (your income does not count for his eligibility) so you do not find yourself financially insecure whether 10 mos or ten years from now. It’s not imho ever a DIY for couples. Get a NAELA or CELA level atty. good luck!

again your income does not count for his eligibility. Only his does & if his is over the monthly income limit often a Miller Trust is done. Miller doesn’t work in all states however. If yours is a nonMiller state then atty will have other options as to how to shift his income - like maybe a special needs trust that is Medicaid compliant. Not Medicaid eligible but ok for Medicaid compliance. None of this is diy.

Please consult an elder care attorney in your state. The laws for Medicaid are different in each state. In the state of New York, we found there were many ways spouses with income and assets over the limits set for Medicaid to qualify for it. There were some easy ways to arrange the assets to protect them so the community spouse would not be impoverished. We found a couple of lawyers who offered a free consultation. The information was free and we only paid to set up some paperwork that was suggested.