Marriage and Medicaid
George called me concerning his step-mom, Rita. Rita is in the hospital but about to be transferred to a nursing facility where she will remain on a long term basis once Medicare coverage stops. The conversation quickly turned to Medicaid. George explained that Dad and Rita have been married 5 years.
Tax Fraud or Medicaid Penalty? Part 2
Last week we were discussing Joe’s problem. His brother Jim had been using Dad’s account to buy and sell Jim’s investments, presumably because having Dad pay the tax instead of Jim was more beneficial. However, what happens when Dad applies for Medicaid? Medicaid will definitely question the $500,000 in assets transferred
Tax Fraud or Medicaid Penalty?
Joe called me because he had just taken over Dad’s finances and the management of care from his brother, Jim. That’s when he made a discovery that troubled him and caused him to reach out to us. Dad was still living at home alone but his health was declining. Joe began
New Medicaid and VA Figures for 2014
Many of the programs that, as elder law attorneys, we deal with daily, such as VA Aid and Attendance and Medicaid, are adjusted annually to account for changes in the cost of living ie. inflation. The Social Security Administration announced that Social Security recipients will receive a 1.5% in benefits starting
Medicaid is No Piece of Cake (Part 2)
Last week we were examining Mary Jane’s problem getting Medicaid for her mom. Specifically, the issue was a joint account held by mother and daughter. Into that account, Mary Jane deposited her income which she used to pay for household bills, such as utilities, real estate taxes, homeowner’s insurance etc. She
Medicaid Is No Piece of Cake (Part 1)
Mary Jane told me, “Mom has no money. She’s never had any money. But Medicaid still denied her application and now I owe the nursing home $40,000.” I knew there had to be more to her story. Sure enough, there was. It’s a very common belief that, because Mom and Dad
If I Get Denied Medicaid, Then I’ll Come to You – Part 2
We were discussing Diane’s 90 year old mother, who had just entered a nursing home from the hospital. Diane called because she was anticipating the need for Medicaid and was concerned that the assets in a trust that had been established for her benefit would be countable under New Jersey’s
“If I get denied Medicaid then I’ll come see you”
Diane’s 90 year old mother had just entered a nursing home from the hospital. She was still on Medicare but that coverage would stop in 2 weeks. Diane called because she knew she would need Medicaid. “Mom has only about $30,000 in assets”, Diane told me. “But she has a trust
Lost Assets and Medicaid (Part 2)
Last week we were discussing George’s problem. He was rapidly spending down Mom’s assets and preparing to apply for Medicaid when he discovered that she and Dad owned some stock. He could not, however, locate the physical stock certificates. What to do? We asked George if he could find an account
Lost Assets and Medicaid
What happens if you need to apply for Medicaid and you know there are assets but you can’t locate them? We were working with George to prepare his mother for Medicaid. He was spending down her remaining assets when he discovered some papers that suggested she might own some stock