Apryl - also I see your profile you’re from CutOff, well Cher, you may find that your mom will be competing for a NH bed with a whole bunch of aged from NOLA. NOLA has very nice LTC facilities but they are overwhelmingly only private pay. They participate in Medicare but not Medicaid. Poydras Home, Christwood, woldenberg are all pretty fab, but self pay. John Henkel facility Uptown was kinda viewed as the only better one that did MediCARE and Medicaid. So families go across the Lake or go further to Houma / Thibodeaux to find a Medicaid bed that is not placing mom amongst the great unwashed. I know someone who has his aunt in New Iberia area. Some NOLA NH were on land that was/ is more valuable to be converted to condo$$$$, like what happened with St. Anna’s & Maison Hospitaliere.
For Louisiana, there is a real push to move away from LTC in a facility and instead go to the PACE model of care. For NOLA / Orleans parish, 2 on west bank & eastbank that’s operated by Catholic Charities. Lafayette has it too & I think so does big BR. Your mom will have to be evaluated for level of care needed and be determined to be just fine for PACE and not needing skilled nursing care in a NH. If so, she won’t get a Medicaid bed in a NH. Btw Catholic Charities is the bigger player for aged programs, they have great high rise housing quasi independent living places that to me are on par with AL. There’s one on Carrollton Uptown, one on Royal in FM and a new post Katrina complex in 7th ward that are this system. If your determined to move her to LA, I’d suggest you get her onto waiting lists for CC units somewhere while she gets that FL house sold. Or She lives with you or private pays for AL in LA.
Shes in AL in FL now right? Well, LA really doesn’t pay for AL. It technically exists as a budgeted program, but has limited vendor participation and long waiting lists. The emphasis is on PACE as it’s lots more cost efficient. Google PACE Benson Center NOLA to see what it is. Again as I said in my other post, if I had the option btw FL & LA for LTC care and there was a home in FL she wanted to keep, she kinda needs to stay in FL.
I don’t think you going to have to worry about Louisiana Medicaid “taking away her home” as I’ll bet the home in Florida will pose eligibility issues from the get-go for her LTC NH Medicaid application for Louisiana. Each state runs it’s Medicaid programs uniquely, but 1 thing they all have in common is that it’s reserved for residents of the state who can document they are “at need” medically & financially. Owning a home in another state is an asset that kills that from happening.
If she’s living in LA, so is now a actual resident of the state of Louisiana but has a home in FL, that home in FL will be viewed as an nonexempt asset & will need to be sold with the proceeds from the sale used for a spend-down to private pay for her care before she could ever be eligible for Louisiana Medicaid.
By & large for Medicaid, their home can be an exempt asset but it has to be primary residence, like has to be their homestead & with a homestead exemption filed. Her place in FL will be viewed as a vacation home or second home or investment property. It can’t be her homestead as she is resident of LA.
The application requires her or you as her dpoa to provide valid info on her financials and details on all her assets. That home has to be disclosed & there can be penalties placed if not. State can clawback payments and the NH will go after whomever is her dpoa. Ownership will surface eventually and the fallout will not be pretty.
I'm in NOLA and if I had a parent who needed skilled nursing care and had the option of LA or FL, I’d go with FL. It’s way way wealthier and more attuned to providing services for the over 65 set. Plus it’s very pro property rights which comes into play for dealing with estate recovery.
also FL will eventually find out she is no longer a resident. The prop taxes on FL house will increase as no more homestead/ homeowner exemptions. Could be quite a huge increase. Also her homeowners insurance is no longer valid, she’s going to need to get a vacant dwelling policy or other specialized coverage.
LA will likely allow her to have provisional eligibility for a brief period (maybe 4 - 6 mos) IF she has FL house on the market with Realtor under MLS listing. No FSBO nonsense. But realize that all property costs on FL place, will have to be paid by you or other family till that sucker gets sold. As mom will be required to do a copay or SOC of basically all her monthly income to the NH as per Medicaid requirements. Putting property on the market will have costs.... utilities and yard costs especially. When place sells all the proceeds from the sale will be totally mom’s $$$. She cannot reimburse you for stuff as that usually is viewed as gifting. Gifting not allowed by Medicaid & sake price can be found out to the penny.
Medicaid will do a MERP to get the money paid on behalf of your mom back, I would sell the house and do self pay until she has spent down enough to qualify for Medicaid. This gives her more options and none of her money can be spent on the house. So you or someone will have to cover insurance, property taxes and maintenance costs. You can rent it out but that becomes income to her and may disqualify her from being eligible for assistance.
You would be wise to talk to Medicaid and find out what the rules are for your state. It is not worth the hassle of not doing correctly.
My mom lost her home in Katrina so it wasn’t applicable to me. She lives in my home. If she owned a home like your mom, I certainly would need to find out like you are trying to do.
Is she on Medicaid? There is that 5 year thing. You can’t gift property to others unless it’s five years before applying for Medicaid.
I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to help you. Maybe do some research online. Contact a social worker. They have answered a lot of my questions. Contact elder attorney too.
Lots of wise people on this forum so hang out for a bit. Good luck.
For Louisiana, there is a real push to move away from LTC in a facility and instead go to the PACE model of care. For NOLA / Orleans parish, 2 on west bank & eastbank that’s operated by Catholic Charities. Lafayette has it too & I think so does big BR. Your mom will have to be evaluated for level of care needed and be determined to be just fine for PACE and not needing skilled nursing care in a NH. If so, she won’t get a Medicaid bed in a NH.
Btw Catholic Charities is the bigger player for aged programs, they have great high rise housing quasi independent living places that to me are on par with AL. There’s one on Carrollton Uptown, one on Royal in FM and a new post Katrina complex in 7th ward that are this system. If your determined to move her to LA, I’d suggest you get her onto waiting lists for CC units somewhere while she gets that FL house sold. Or She lives with you or private pays for AL in LA.
Shes in AL in FL now right? Well, LA really doesn’t pay for AL. It technically exists as a budgeted program, but has limited vendor participation and long waiting lists. The emphasis is on PACE as it’s lots more cost efficient. Google PACE Benson Center NOLA to see what it is. Again as I said in my other post, if I had the option btw FL & LA for LTC care and there was a home in FL she wanted to keep, she kinda needs to stay in FL.
If she’s living in LA, so is now a actual resident of the state of Louisiana but has a home in FL, that home in FL will be viewed as an nonexempt asset & will need to be sold with the proceeds from the sale used for a spend-down to private pay for her care before she could ever be eligible for Louisiana Medicaid.
By & large for Medicaid, their home can be an exempt asset but it has to be primary residence, like has to be their homestead & with a homestead exemption filed. Her place in FL will be viewed as a vacation home or second home or investment property. It can’t be her homestead as she is resident of LA.
The application requires her or you as her dpoa to provide valid info on her financials and details on all her assets. That home has to be disclosed & there can be penalties placed if not. State can clawback payments and the NH will go after whomever is her dpoa. Ownership will surface eventually and the fallout will not be pretty.
I'm in NOLA and if I had a parent who needed skilled nursing care and had the option of LA or FL, I’d go with FL. It’s way way wealthier and more attuned to providing services for the over 65 set. Plus it’s very pro property rights which comes into play for dealing with estate recovery.
also FL will eventually find out she is no longer a resident. The prop taxes on FL house will increase as no more homestead/ homeowner exemptions. Could be quite a huge increase. Also her homeowners insurance is no longer valid, she’s going to need to get a vacant dwelling policy or other specialized coverage.
LA will likely allow her to have provisional eligibility for a brief period (maybe 4 - 6 mos) IF she has FL house on the market with Realtor under MLS listing. No FSBO nonsense. But realize that all property costs on FL place, will have to be paid by you or other family till that sucker gets sold. As mom will be required to do a copay or SOC of basically all her monthly income to the NH as per Medicaid requirements. Putting property on the market will have costs.... utilities and yard costs especially. When place sells all the proceeds from the sale will be totally mom’s $$$. She cannot reimburse you for stuff as that usually is viewed as gifting. Gifting not allowed by Medicaid & sake price can be found out to the penny.
You would be wise to talk to Medicaid and find out what the rules are for your state. It is not worth the hassle of not doing correctly.
My mom lost her home in Katrina so it wasn’t applicable to me. She lives in my home. If she owned a home like your mom, I certainly would need to find out like you are trying to do.
Is she on Medicaid? There is that 5 year thing. You can’t gift property to others unless it’s five years before applying for Medicaid.
I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to help you. Maybe do some research online. Contact a social worker. They have answered a lot of my questions. Contact elder attorney too.
Lots of wise people on this forum so hang out for a bit. Good luck.