Will Medicaid pay for my dad to go to a nursing home?

Realistically this is so not a DIY for you to do as it’s complicated for couples from the get go plus your parents income is supporting your household so you can’t really look at things objectively. A good elder law atty (I’d try to have it be a CELA level of attorney) will know how to segregate your parents finances so that Dad can move into a SNF and be on LTC Medicaid while mom stays in your home as the Community Spouse and is able to retain her own SSA income. Hopefully the atty can figure out how to get mom to show she requires some of Dads own monthly income to be partially waived over to her as her Community Spouse Resource Allowance. (think of CRSA a kinda like old,school alimony). There’s a lot of moving parts to do all the many many items that couples LTC Medicaid planning entails. Really truly NOT a DIY.

Im going to guess that there has been alot of shared expenses of their income & savings being used by you to keep the household afloat. This $ has to be unthreaded and then segregated from now back to Summer of 2020. It has to be so clear that there was NO GIFTING done by the folks to you. Or if it’s really egregious amount of $, then it gets worked on to legitimately minimize it. Doing this can be done but it really needs a clear head that understands all the minutia of how your States various Medicaid program works and how caseworkers evaluate applications. It’s attorney work. Not a DIY.

Fwiw the Medicaid that Dad is on is Medicaid as health insurance. So he’s Medicare and Medicaid for health insurance. He’s a “dual”. I bet his having Parkinson’s was a factor for his eligibility for it as Parkinson’s is a special disease category for eligibility for programs that otherwise a person might be “over resourced” for to be eligible. That he is already a “dual” for his health insurance is really good as it means he has no change for health insurance policies which often happens to those entering a NH and filing a LTC Medicaid application. So a big yeah! for that being done.

OK so SeriouslyRemote, the home that the 3 of you live in is actually your home? Like the title recorded at the courthouse on the property is only in your name? The tax bill is only your name? If you have a mortgage, it is too only in your name? You bought this house so it was not that your parents transferred their home over to you? If all this is what it is, then you are not going to have any payback to the State for your parents LTC Medicaid coverage. Their LTC Medicaid - like for Dad when he goes into a NH soon and then when mom goes into a NH - has no effect on that house in your name.

imho you need to try to settle on an attorney soon. The couples situation (1 in a NH & 1 stays living on their own) for a LTC Medicaid application does a “snapshot day” that all their assets get affixed to. If there are to be changes done, they (or you as their POA) want to get all this done before ever filing an application for Dad. And exactly what has to be done gets shepherded by the atty for your parents. I know this all seems like a ton of items that have to be done. It is but it’s totally manageable for those who know the system. That is not you…. again find an atty t shepherd all this for your parents. & do it soon. Your folks have income & their income pays the atty costs.

Good luck, stay organized & remember to get your sleep.

I would see an elder law attorney expert now to parse out how the finances of your parents, their assets, and their money can be handled so as to ensure your father is able to be placed in care. They can help you. Only your father's income, SS will go to the Nursing home, not your others SS. And when your father has no other income, assets then Medicaid will pick up the cost if he qualifies, but if there are other pensions and etc it starts to get complicated with needs for QITs or for Miller Trusts.

A good elder care attorney can help the one parent get qualified and protect the other parent's assets.
If YOU yourself cannot work your way through these rules and regs for your own parents, whose assets and monthly income you know and understand, just imagine how much less we strangers can have any idea, so off you go to an expert when expert help is needed.

Under no circumstances should children, who are buying their own homes, educating their children and saving for their own retirement, contribute. That is for wealthy kids with a large stash to do, but there aren't as many of them as we imagine.

Talk with a lawyer as soon as possible. You cannot depend on your parents’ income forever to pay your expenses with theirs. As time goes on and your parents require more care, you are at risk of losing your home.

Its time to place your parents into a facility for their care so you can return on your career track back to work. You need to pay into Social Security for your own future care.

Thanks for you answers. I have been doing research on this and reaching out to organizations but my mind is so jumbled as I'm overwhelmed and anxious and struggling. I just needed to reach out to some real people and get some thoughts.
I own the house that we all live in. My parents have a car that is almost paid off and very little else. They get their social security and I do my best to pay the bills to keep them fed and housed.

The poster wrote "...sometimes she forgets that they are married." That sounds like the mom has some level of dementia, and may need to have care sooner rather than later, in addition to the dad.

Medicaid will pay for a nursing home for your father. They will take his monthy income and if he has property in his name that has not been made a Medicaid-exempt asset, it will have to be sold and the money from it spent-down before Medicaid will start paying for him. No one gets enough Social Security to pay for a nursing home. So your father does not have "too much" income to get Medicaid.

If your mother is financially dependent on your father and lives in the home, Medicaid is not unreasonable. They make allowances for dependent spouses who are reliant on the spouse going into a nursing home. Often this includes allowing them lifetime use of the home they live in if they own a property. After the spouse in the home passes on or goes into care themselves, then the property is sold and Medicaid recaps some of what they've paid out.

Medicaid does not make allowances for adult children who are being supported by their parents though, nor should they. You can get your father placed and if your mother is dependent on him and his income, things won't change all that much for you or her. They will if she has to go into care or passes away. If you can get her to put her share in the property (if she has any and it's not owned by your father entirely) into your name and you keep her from going on Medicaid for 5 years, that half of the value of it cannot be taken. Other than doing this, you will get nothing by the way of inheritance if either of your parents goes into LTC.

You can talk to an estate-planning lawyer, maybe there's some loophole out there, but it's not likely.

Yes, Medicaid will pay for the nursing home, however they will probably still charge the $1,000 share of cost, which is what the county calculates based on their ability to pay. That amount can change, as your parents' income and assets and cost of living change. You can call and ask a Medicaid worker to get more clarity.

If you have been living there and taking care of them, you could have talked to the Medicaid case manager about getting paid as their caregiver.
When we lived in Minnesota, my husband's share of cost was roughly $1,000 a month, but my income as his full time caregiver exceeded that amount and was worth it, as I also had to quit my job to stay home with him. I was only 53 at the time, far from retirement. I found a small apartment, and our living expenses were low, and I was able to pay bills with the income I got as his caregiver, after paying back the $1,000/month.

You may want to consult with a certified elder law attorney to see about separating your parent's income and assets, so that only your father's income is considered in determining his ability to pay and his share of cost for Medicaid.

I think you made a big mistake quitting your job and moving in with your parents and living on their social security income. I know it's a little late now, what's done is done. But, you need to start to consider what you will do when they are both gone. You haven't prepared for your financial future. Do you have enough work credits to be eligible for social security yourself?
Look into being paid as their caregiver, if you are up to the task. And start taking care of yourself.

You need to return to work. Is this home entirely in your name? And see my second message.

Can you sign up to be a paid caregiver for your family through your state and Aging and disability Resource Connections. ADRC. You can speak to someone about this program and find out if you qualify. You would attend an orientation workshop and also take classes online. You would have more of a support network, It is vital that you are valued as a caregiver and also have options.
I believe that Medicaid does pay for nursing care, and also there is a program called the P.A.C.E. program, which I highly recommend looking into for Care for you Father and possibly your Mom too.
https://www.usaging.org/adrcs
https://www.cms.gov/medicare/medicaid-coordination/about/pace

You need to ask them (Medicaid)
And contact an attorney specializing in this area if needed.
You can hire an independent medical social worker to assist you through this maze. It will be a huge benefit to you to pursue.

While Federal rules/regulations apply to everyone, states and counties will/may have differing benefits (rules and regulations).

And, now Federal support for any health care is up in the air or has been drastically reduced to care for the people that need it most. So, you need to research in your area and/or ask someone with expertise to help you. It is overwhelming. Gena / Touch Matters