VA Benefits and QITs – Part 2
In my post last week, I started to tell you about how tricky it can be when applying for Medicaid benefits while currently receiving VA Aid and Attendance benefits, a non service connected pension available to certain wartime veterans and their widowed spouses. While it is not taxable income for tax
VA Benefits and QITs – Part 1
We have many clients who first qualify for the VA Aid and Attendance benefit to help pay for their long term care and then when their remaining assets are spent down, they must apply for Medicaid. As I have written about previously, Medicaid has a strict income cap ($2349 in 2020). If
Funeral Expenses and Medicaid – Part 2
Funeral Expenses and Medicaid (Part 2) This week’s post details the more common option when it comes to setting aside funds for a funeral before spending down towards Medicaid eligibility. Last week I explained that $1500 can be set aside for burial as long as it is specifically designated and not commingled
N.J. Court Gives Guidance on Hiring Aides – Part 3
In my 3rd and final post on a recent New Jersey Appellate Division case, I continue to discuss how Medicaid treats payments to aides when it comes time to file a Medicaid application. In order to keep the costs down, D.Z. hired aides for several years but did not go thru a home
N.J. Court Gives Guidance on Hiring Aides – Part 2
In my post last week, I set out the facts of a recent Appellate Division case covering a situation I see frequently in my elder law practice – the payment of home health aides and how it affects Medicaid eligibility. The Medicaid applicant, D.Z. paid her aides almost exactly the way countless people I have
N.J. Court Gives Guidance on Hiring Aides – Part1
Just last week the New Jersey Appellate Division issued a decision regarding Medicaid that provides a road map for anyone hiring aides at home who hopes to qualify for Medicaid benefits when private funds run out. The case itself is unpublished which means it cannot be relied on as precedent in future cases. Nevertheless, it gives
Filing a Medicaid Application? Better be Prepared for a Battle (Part 2)
In last week’s post, I started to tell you about what has been happening with increasing frequency to the Medicaid application process. Denials have become almost routine and for reasons that range from flat out incorrect to the bizarre. For example, last week we received a Medicaid denial for failure to provide a deed or
Filing a Medicaid Application? Better Be Prepared (Part 1)
Even before the current pandemic, getting a Medicaid application approved was increasingly challenging. Now, with some government staff working remotely and many government offices short staffed because of social distancing requirements, it has not gotten better. What we are finding in our office is that applications that should clearly be approved are being denied. In
Medicaid Married Couple Redetermination Challenges – Part 1
Last year I wrote about the challenge of keeping Medicaid after you’ve been approved. Whenever I give prospective clients an overview of the Medicaid rules and what is necessary to qualify, I also explain that the rules must be followed even after Medicaid eligibility is achieved. You can’t let your guard down and
A Long Term Care Mess (Part 3)
My posts the past two weeks have been about Mary’s problem caring for her stepmom, June after her dad died. Last week I told you that we needed to file a guardianship action. 2 doctors needed to examine June and sign affidavits stating that in their medical opinion she was