How We Help Medicaid Clients

Medicaid is a state-based, federally-funded medical assistance program. This much-needed program is highly regulated with clearly defined eligibility requirements. Long-term care for medically needy individuals is the portion of the program that is most likely to affect someone you know. The regulations are too far extensive to discuss in detail here.

We can assist families with the intricacies of this program. Procedures and steps taken in the application process are crucial. Timing is very important. A professional adviser should be consulted before assistance is requested.

The Medicaid program includes rules intended to assist the spouse who will stay at home, known as the “community spouse.” Certain steps must be taken by the community spouse to assure that they will be able to retain the resources necessary to maintain their needs. A “fair hearing” must be requested if the needs of the community spouse are to be taken into account.

Long-term care quickly depletes family resources, especially if there is no long-term care insurance. Even when there is insurance available, coverage is often limited or has not kept pace with rising care costs. While the asset limitation for an individual’s eligibility is only a few thousand dollars, a married couple may have substantial assets that can be preserved for the benefit of the community spouse. For example, the family residence is exempt for eligibility purposes. At the same time, it is possible that the house could eventually be lost if it’s owned by the spouse who was in long-term care at the date of their death.

Please contact us should you need assistance or have questions regarding Medicaid.