Medicaid is the United States health program for eligible individuals and families with low incomes and resources. It is a “means-tested” program (based on financial needs of the applicant) that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments, but managed by the states. Among the groups of people served by Medicaid are certain eligible U.S. citizens and resident aliens, including low-income adults and their children, and people with certain disabilities. Poverty alone does not necessarily qualify an individual for Medicaid. Medicaid is the largest source of funding for medical and health-related services for people with limited income in the United States. Because of the aging World War II/Korean War generation, the fastest growing aspect of Medicaid is nursing home coverage.
The Estate Planning & Elder Law Center of Brevard has substantial experience in working with clients in need of nursing home care so that they do not spend down all of their assets to pay for this care before qualifying for Medicaid assistance. Medicaid planning can run the gamut from preparing in advance for a nursing home stay by shifting assets and other means (this is called “Pre-planning” and is usually the best way to go) to “Crisis Planning” (which we seem to see more and more frequently). Our services also include filing the application for Medicaid Nursing Home Benefits on your behalf. An improperly completed application can lead to months of ineligibility for benefits that might otherwise have been available. We have been hired after-the-fact multiple times to fix incorrectly done Medicaid applications. Since Medicaid benefits include room and board, prescriptions, and physician fees, only a few months delay in qualifying can mean the loss of upwards of $6,000 in benefits per month!
