Am I Too Young for an Estate Plan or Long Term Care Plan? Part 2
In my blog post last week I talked about a scenario we are seeing with increasing frequency. We have had a number of what we call crisis calls relating to a family member who has experienced a sudden onset of injury or illness causing the need for long term care -
Am I Too Young for an Estate or Long Term Care Plan? Part 1
Most of the crisis long term care stories I tell here in this blog are of people in their 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and older. They have not planned for the cost of long term care and are then beset with sudden illness or injury. The reality, however, is that there is no
2 Years Private Pay and Then Medicaid – Part 2
In my post last week, I told you about a son who called. His mom had been paying for care for almost 2 years at an assisted living facility (ALF). Thinking he was ready to apply for Medicaid benefits, he called our office for help. His mom, however, still owned real estate worth
2 Years Private Pay and Then Medicaid? Not so fast
In this week’s post I will tell you about a call we received recently, similar to ones we have had many times over the years - although not in some time. Son called stating that Mom was close to completing a 2 year private pay requirement at a local assisted living
The Medicaid Spend Down Scramble – Part 2
The Medicaid Spend Down Scramble - Part 2 In my blog post last week, I wrote about the rushed process of spending down assets to achieve Medicaid eligibility for one spouse without severely impoverishing the other non-Medicaid “community spouse”. While maximizing what that spouse can keep - what is known as exempt
The Medicaid Spend Down Scramble – Part 3
The Medicaid Spend Down Scramble - Part 3 In my blog post for this week, I finish the topic of the spend down process before Medicaid and why it is so important to the financial well being of the healthy non-Medicaid spouse. As I explained last week, maximizing what that spouse, known
The Medicaid Spend Down Scramble – Part 1
I have written in past blog posts about Medicaid’s 5 year look back and the need to be familiar with the transactions that Medicaid will be reviewing. We still, however, receive many calls where a quick spend down to Medicaid is necessary. In the case of a married couple where only one
2024 VA Aid and Attendance Numbers
In this week’s post I will review the updated numbers for 2024 for the VA program that provides a benefit to wartime veterans and their spouses. Known as the VA Aid and Attendance program, this benefit provides a special pension to eligible applicants who need long term care. The maximum pension amount
2024 Medicaid Numbers
Last month in this blog I updated you on some of the new Social Security and Medicare numbers for 2024. The recently announced cost of living adjustment (COLA) of 3.2% has resulted in a much smaller benefit increase than the past 2 years. Many other federal programs are tied to the Social
Another Medicaid Cautionary Tale – Part 3
In my blog post last week, I explained that John was unsuccessful in his attempts to obtain Medicaid benefits for his mom. He then ended up being sued by the facility for the amount of unpaid bills which were not covered by Medicaid. But why did his repeated attempts fail? From my conversation