Wellness

[CAcableGirl2]

@CelticCrafter  There is a dollar amount that can be given away per year per recipient without any issues.  I believe in California it's $15K per year. 

[ID2]

My dh was POA for his elderly mother who lived in Az (we are in MI). When her money ran out she easily switched from Medicare to Medicaid. My dh made a few phone calls, filled out a few forms and walla, done. It wasn't a problem at all. She got really good care being on Medicaid until she died. 

[CatsyCline]

Contact a Medicaid Panning agent or the local Office for the Aging for your state.  Medicaid is administered by the states in conjuction with the federal government.

Income and asset guidelines vary by state for SNF (nursing home) care and in-home care.  

https://www.hhs.gov/aging/state-resources/index.html

[50Mickey]

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@CelticCrafter wrote:

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@tockerman wrote:

has anyone gone through this process? how long before they run out of money do you have to apply. how do they plentize you if they fell the parnet gave away money?

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I was told they will go to the person that received the monies. 

I don't know how true that is or what they would do if the recipient has spent it and can't give it back.

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If an applicant gives away more money that the cost of nursing home care for one month, then the applicant would be disqualified for Medicaid for a period of time. The govt. does not take any money from anyone.  It is best not to transfer monies prior to applying for Medicaid.  If a person has sufficient funds to pay for nursing home care the govt. expects that these monies should be used for the applicant's care prior to government aid. If you are thinking about the need for nursing home care, speak with someone at a nursing home. They can give you a good idea of the Medicaid rules and what needs to be done to get approved.  

[tockerman]

thanks for your help. I just looking to know if they will penlzie my father for giving money away. which he did so guess were in trouble and no we cannot pay it back he has been using his own money for almost two years got enough money for 2 more. guess will see what happens. guess i may have to take care of him myself if that happens. 

[lenapecci]

@tockerman

I googled your concern about being penalized or having to pay the money back.

I am no expert, but from what I read that does not happen. It appears they will not apply Medicaid for the amount of months regarding the cash your father may have given.

I think you should contact Medicaid, they can give you all the correct information regarding your father and if he can qualify. It could be worth it to give them a call.   

[TurnerGal]

I went through this last year.  As everyone said, each state is different.  In my state I had to submit 5 years of his bank statements and IRS info.  They will look to see if money has been transferred out of his account and given to someone else.  It's called a 5 year look back.  They will do the same with property, if he transferred his home to someone else.  I have heard of people in our state that have had to pay the money back.  Or as someone else has said,  for example if he transferred $50K to someone else, then he won't get paid for Medicaid benefits during that time( if each month the nursing home is $5K,  then Medicaid would not pay for his care until he had paid his own care for ten months.  It is a complicated process and I had to constantly follow up with the state administrator and my father did not have a lot of money left and no property.  In our state he could keep $10K in his account to go towards his funeral.  My father spent lots of money being in assisted care for several years but he was well cared for and was in nice places.  The places in my state that took Medicaid, many were not very nice.  I was lucky to find a nice place and he needed to have a room mate because he was on Medicaid.  He only lived 4 months after he was approved for Medicaid, but he was comfortable.

Moral to this story save a lot of money for your care (don't spend it all on QVC).  Like anything,  the more money you have the more choices you have on your care and the better care you will receive.

[chrystaltree]

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@lenapecci wrote:

It will depend on which state your father resides in.

Some states accepted the Medicaid expansion. Even with that there are different guidelines.

In NV where I worked on Medicaid claims, it was based on if you had an income and what that level was. It did not take into consideration of savings or if you owned a home etc.

In PA where I am now the guidelines are different and it is income level and they do consider savings and other finances.

My advice is if you can go on the Medicaid website for the state you are in. All of the guidelines and if a person qualifies are there as well as the application.  Also you can call the state Medicaid office for assistance.

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       Better yet, consult with an attorney who specializes in estate planning or Medicare/Medicaid.  I wouldn't trust that people who work for Medicaid know all the regulations.    Medicaid is supposed to be for low income people; the intent never was for people who have assets to give them away or spend through them so that they can be eligible for public money.  But that is what legally happens now.   Another expense for the taxpayer.  Something can be legal but not right.   Every state has their own rules and you shouldn't just automatically assume that the 5 year rule applies to all assets.  I don't know all the details but the father of an acquaintence gifted a large sum of money to a family member only to find out that it was not included in the 5 year rule.  It was a legal and financial mess for that family and humiliating because word got around town that the father had been trying to cheat Medicaid.  Some people called it "cheating" because he actually had money for years of care and should have used it for his care and then applied for Medicaid.  Others thought he didn't "cheat" because he thought he was following the rules, he just erred in not working with an attorney.  It works the other way too, I read in our local paper that many elders think they aren't eligible for Medicaid when, in fact, they are because the income/asset guidelines are higher than people think they are.