Retitling Assets to Healthy Spouse to Qualify for Medicaid (Part 2)
Last week we were discussing Mary’s dilemma. Her husband, George, has Alzheimer’s Disease and is going to need some care at home. Mary is concerned that soon he will need nursing home level care and she wants to preserve their primary home and their second home.
Changes to New Jersey Medicaid Have Finally Arrived!
So it has finally happened. Effective last Monday, December 1, New Jersey no longer is offering its Medically Needy program to individuals in need of nursing home level care. What this change does is effectively make Medicaid benefits possible to those at home and in assisted living facilities as
When Doing it Yourself (Medicaid) Can Only Take You So Far (Part 2)
Last week I was telling you about Joe’s call. His mother, who was on Medicaid, received notice of an inheritance of $75,000. Joe wanted to figure out a way to keep that money since he and his brother had given Mom money to pay some of her medical expenses
Changes to New Jersey Medicaid Coming November 1 (Maybe)
Last week I wrote about changes to New Jersey’s Medicaid program that are coming November 1, specifically with regard to the income cap. Well, as with all things Medicaid, that date is not certain. It’s now looking like December 1 is the more realistic date. What is
Changes to New Jersey Medicaid Coming November 1
I have written for many years about Medicaid’s strict income limit or “cap” Individuals over the cap can’t qualify for some Medicaid programs, such as assisted living or home based Medicaid. That’s because New Jersey is what is known as an income
New Jersey Supreme Court Recognizes the Value of Special Needs Planning
Sometimes as elder and disability attorneys we are criticized for helping our clients qualify for, or in some cases maintain, government needs based benefits. “Why should people be able to protect any of their assets and still qualify for government benefits”, they ask. “That’s not who the benefits are
Can I Leave the House to my Children and not my Spouse? (Part 2)
Last week I was telling you about Sara, who called about her Mom. Dad left the house to Sara and her sisters but because of something called the elective share, I told Sara that the house may not be entirely protected when it is time to file for Medicaid
Can I Leave the House to my Children instead of my Spouse?
Sara called because her mom, living at home, needed nursing home care and would need Medicaid after spending down her remaining $20,000 of assets. She told me that her dad had died 3 years earlier. I asked her about what happened since then. Sara explained that Mom’s health had steadily
Turning Life Insurance into Long Term Care Insurance (Part 2)
So your parent has an insurance policy that they can no longer afford and they are in spend down mode to qualify for Medicaid. Cashing in the policy and spending the proceeds is necessary before Medicaid will kick in. But last week I mentioned another option, something called a