The holidays are often called the most wonderful time of the year, especially for aging parents. For many families who live far apart, they are also a time when adult children and grandchildren travel to visit aging parents. Even if you are in regular contact by phone and email, it can be tough to recognize signs of aging that require further attention until you are with your loved ones in person. Do you know what to look for during holiday visits to aging parents?
Let us talk about some of the signs that it may be time to look into getting your aging parent some day to day assistance, or to begin exploring options for long-term care.
The first thing to look for in your aging parents is forgetfulness. Forgetfulness is often one of the first signs to watch for. It is normal for memory to change over time. If your parents, however, are forgetting routine and long-term information, such as their street address or how to get to the grocery store, this could be a sign of the onset of Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.
Decrease in socialization can also be a red flag in aging parents. If your normally active, social parent is spending a lot less time out of the house, this may be cause for concern, especially if he or she is now living alone after being widowed and is not getting social interaction without a spouse in the house. You can help by looking into local activities at a senior center, house of worship, or the library.
Driving issues are also things to watch for. Unfortunately, your parents probably taught you to drive, and you may be the person who has to take away their keys. If vision and spatial issues become too much and impair their ability to drive safely, it is probably time to sit down and talk to your parents about alternatives.
Additionally, be mindful of cleanliness. If your parents’ home has unexpected piles of junk mail and newspapers suddenly stacking up in the corners, it may be time to talk about getting them some help to organize and discard. If there is a true cleanliness issue, however, with food not being disposed of properly or mold accumulation, it can also be a sign of dementia.
Our office remains committed to serving the elderly and their loved ones. For legal help and support concerning elder law issues, please reach out to us to schedule an appointment.
Medical emergencies can strike without warning. Martin’s family learned that when he suffered a major stroke and landed in the emergency room. He needed skilled, 24/7 nursing care. Unfortunately, he had never done any Medicaid planning or even wondered, “Do I qualify for Medicaid.” His family had to scramble to find ways to pay for his care until his Medicaid application was processed. Don’t be like Martin. As you consider whether you might qualify for Medicaid for the Elderly & Disabled or Institutional Medicaid, think about the following questions.
Do I have a physical or mental condition that meets Medicaid requirements?
To receive Medicaid for Institutional Care, you must be in the hospital, a nursing home, or an ICF-IID facility. Medicaid usually needs to see a doctor’s diagnosis for this type of care for it to be covered.
To receive Home and Community-Based Waivers, you must be “elderly, disabled, homebound, mentally disabled, or have certain medical diagnoses…”
As Medicaid caseworkers review your application, they will review your medical records to make sure you meet the medical requirements for the appropriate program.
Do I meet residency requirements?
Since Medicaid is a joint federal-state program, each state has some flexibility in how it manages its own Medicaid program.
To receive Alabama Medicaid benefits, you must be a resident of Alabama. Also, you must be a U.S. citizen or a qualified non-citizen.
Do you meet Medicaid’s income and resource limits?
These limits vary from program to program. However, the income and resource limits for E&D and Institutional Care are:
• Income limit: $2,030 per month • Resource limit: $2,000 as of the first day of each month.
There are special rules for married individuals. When deciding whether you qualify for Medicaid or not, talk to an experienced Alabama Medicaid lawyer to make sure.
Answer the Question, “Do I Qualify for Medicaid?”
Discuss your circumstances with an experienced Alabama Medicaid lawyer.
Contact us at 256-472-1900 for a free consultation. The attorneys at Miller Estate and Elder Law know how to help you with Medicaid planning and with estate recovery concerns. Miller Estate and Elder Law is located at 818 Leighton Avenue in Anniston, but we serve clients in Gadsden, Hoover, Talladega, Vestavia Hills, and surrounding areas.
Also, receive a free download of Medicaid Planning in Alabama: What You Need to Know by completing the brief form below:
Almost 90 million American rely on Medicaid for health care benefits. In fact, Medicaid pays for more health care than any company in the United States. So, you may immediately think of Medicaid when you can’t pay for your medical care. You may be wondering, “How do I apply for Medicaid?” This article may provide an answer to this important question.
Choosing the Right Program
Medicaid does not just offer one benefit or one program. Alabama Medicaid offers several benefits, including:
Medicaid for Children
Medicaid for Parents and Caretaker Relatives
Medicaid for Pregnant Women
Medicaid for the Elderly and Disabled
Medicaid in the Nursing Home
As you can see, Medicaid has programs to cover Americans from the cradle to the grave. Also, many individual programs consist of more than one element. For example, Medicaid for the Elderly and Disabled (E&D) also offers Home and Community-Based Waivers and SSI-Related Programs.
Once you choose the programs you need, it’s time to apply.
Completing the Paperwork
The Alabama Medicaid website contains several applications and additional forms. Certain programs require or allow online applications. Choose the forms that you need for the program you want.
Another form – Tips for Applying for Institutional (Nursing Home) Medicaid – offers a list of documents needed. The form also offers tips for making the process a little easier.
The most important thing to remember is that your application must be complete, with all supporting documents.
Submitting the Application
The final step is getting your application to the right place:
Apply online if you are pregnant, applying for a child, or applying for Plan First Family Planning. You may also mail an application to P. O. Box 5624, Montgomery, AL 36103-5624.
Use a paper application to apply for nursing home care, home and community-based waiver program, or help paying for Medicare. You may also contact the district office or Customer Service Center for your county.
“How Do I Apply for Medicaid?” With Help from Someone Who Understands
Applying for Medicaid is time consuming, frustrating, and difficult. You can ease the process a little by finding an experienced Alabama Medicaid attorney.
The attorneys at Miller Estate and Elder Law have years of experience working within the Medicaid system. They help clients like you with Medicaid applications as well as advanced Medicaid planning.
Schedule a consultation with one of the attorneys at Miller Estate and Elder Law. Our phone number is 256-472-1900. We are located at 818 Leighton Avenue in Anniston, but we serve clients in communities like Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Irondale, and Calera.
Also, take a look at some of the free guides offered on our website.
Sometimes the more answers we get, the more questions we have. The same may be true when it comes to Medicaid. Someone who needs help paying for medical care or a nursing home may be relieved to learn that Medicaid offers this type of benefits. Then they learn that the application process is difficult. You have to qualify for Medicaid benefits, and some of the requirements are hard to understand. For example, you may want to learn more about the Medicaid income limit. That’s what we will explore in this blog.
First, what are the basic Medicaid qualifications?
Medicaid offers several programs, each with its own qualifications. For example, Medicaid for Pregnant Women and Medicaid in the Nursing Home target very different groups. That said, Medicaid generally is intended for people with low incomes. Applicants who exceed the Medicaid income limit usually will not qualify for benefits.
What is the current Medicaid income limit?
It varies. The income limit for people who qualify through Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is $791 per month / $1,177 for couples.
However, the Medicaid in the Nursing Home program income limit is $2,313 per month for one person. This limit also applies to:
Elderly and Disabled Waiver,
Independent Living Waiver,
Persons with Intellectual Disabilities Waiver, and
Technology-Assisted Waiver for Adults.
Effective February 2019, Medicaid uses the Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) method of determining income for some programs. For example, the Plan First and Pregnant Women & Children programs calculate income after deductions based on family size:
Family of 1 = $1,520
Family of 2 = $2,058
Family of 3 = $2,596
Family of 4 = $3,133
You may be wondering if Medicaid counts all your income when determining if you are qualified for benefits.
What does Medicaid consider to be income?
Generally, Medicaid counts all the following income toward your Medicaid income limit:
Federal taxable wages;
Self-employment income;
Unemployment compensation;
Social Security benefits, including Social Security Disability Income (SSDI);
Retirement or pension income;
Alimony or spousal support for divorces finalized before January 1, 2019;
Capital gains;
Investment income;
Rental and royalty income; and
Untaxed foreign income.
Income that is not counted toward the limit includes:
Supplemental Security Income (SSI);
Veterans’ disability payments,
Workers’ Compensation,
Proceeds from loans, including student loans; and
Child support.
I’m just over Medicaid income limit. Is there anything I can do?
Possibly. Just talk to an experienced Alabama Medicaid lawyer about Medicaid planning and spend-down strategies.
The attorneys at Miller Estate and Elder Law assist their clients with Medicaid and incapacity planning, as well as general estate planning. Contact Bill Miller at 256-251-2137 to schedule an appointment. Though our office is now located at 818 Leighton Avenue in Anniston, we serve clients in Gadsden, Hoover, Talladega, Vestavia Hills, and surrounding areas.
Also, download a copy of our free e-book, Medicaid Planning in Alabama: What You Need to Know, by clicking here.
Martha W.’s family knew she needed help, and she needed it now. She suffered from several serious medical conditions. As a result, she found it increasingly difficult to carry on with her activities of daily living, like cooking or getting dressed. Martha’s family had never looked into government assistance programs and became confused when they finally did. For example, what’s the difference between Medicare and Medicaid? Let’s look at some of the important benefits offered by each program.
First, the Basics
Both are programs offered and managed by the federal government. Also, both help with medical care.
Medicare is essentially a government health insurance policy that is available to a certain group of qualifying individuals. Workers pay taxes to cover future Medicare costs for themselves and their family members.
Medicaid is more of a public assistance program funded by public tax funds that cover healthcare expenses.
Qualifying for Medicare and Medicaid
The eligibility requirements for these programs are very different. For example, Medicare is generally available for people:
One important difference between the programs is that Medicare eligibility is not income-based, while Medicaid is. Additionally, both Medicare and Medicaid offer benefits with different requirements.
Benefits Provided by Medicare and Medicaid
Both offer more than one program. In fact, Medicaid programs can vary from state to state. We’ll just look at the programs offered by Alabama Medicaid.
Medicare:
Part A (hospital insurance) is premium-free for most people who paid Medicare taxes.
Part B (medical insurance) covers some doctors’ services, outpatient care, medical supplies, and preventive services.
Part D (prescription drug coverage) pays for some prescription drugs.
Medicaid:
Medicaid for Children
Medicaid for Parents and Caretaker Relatives
Medicaid for Pregnant Women
Medicaid for the Elderly and Disabled
Medicaid in the Nursing Home
Breast and Cervical Cancer Program
Plan First Family Planning Program
Help Paying for Medicare Costs
People can apply for either program, depending on their needs.
The Application Process
Applying for Medicare is fairly easy. Just complete an online application. There’s no need to submit documentation.
Contact Bill Miller at 256-251-2137 to schedule an appointment. The attorneys at Miller Estate and Elder Law can explain the difference between Medicare and Medicaid and help your Medicaid application. Even better, we can help you with Medicaid planning to increase your chance of getting Medicaid and keeping as much property as possible. Though our office is located at 818 Leighton Avenue in Anniston, we serve clients in Gadsden, Hoover, Talladega, Vestavia Hills, and surrounding areas.
In determing how to pay for long term nursing home care, the first way, and by far the best way, is with long-term care insurance. There are different kinds of long-term care insurance policies out there. Unfortunately, most people do not have long-term care insurance, and they wait too long to get it. By the time they apply for it, they are either too sick, or it is no longer affordable. If you can get a long-term care policy, I would encourage you to do so because it is the best way to pay for care.
Medicaid
The second way to pay for long-term care is through the Medicaid program. The Medicaid program is a federal program that is administered by the states, but it has very strict requirements in order to qualify. An individual cannot have more than $2,000 in non-exempt assets in order to qualify. Most people have way more than $2,000 in assets. If you are married, the rules are a little different, but Medicaid can still be difficult to qualify for.
Out of Pocket
The third way to pay, and what most people are doing, is out of pocket. Right now, nursing home costs in this area are around $7,000 a month. Within 10 years, they will probably be $10,000 a month. Every month, these long-term care costs are due and are eating away at your nest egg at the rate of about $10,000. If you don’t have long-term care insurance and you don’t qualify for Medicaid, then you are going to have to pay out of pocket.
I hope this answers the question about how to pay for long-term care. Our clients are encouraged when told how to minimize out-of-pocket expenses and get qualified for Medicaid more quickly if they don’t have long-term care insurance.
