Is any Income Excludible When Determining Medicaid Eligibility?
Defining income sounds simple but over the years we have fielded many questions from our elder law clients as to how New Jersey treats might treat different scenarios. Following are some of the more common ones. Money received from the sale of an asset (resource)is not income. The sale of
“The Name on the Check” Rule
How does the state treat income in the case of a married Medicaid applicant? Well, it depends on which Medicaid program we are talking about. In the case of New Jersey's 2 nursing home programs, Medicaid Only and Medically Needy, the applicant’s income is counted for purposes of eligibility but
What if Your Income is Greater than the Income Cap?
New Jersey has two nursing home Medicaid programs, one for those with $2094 a month of gross income and one for people with greater than $2094 per month. New Jersey's Medically Needy program is available to people whose income exceeds that number up to what is known as the Medicaid
What is Income?
To qualify for institutional - nursing home - Medicaid in New Jersey under its Medicaid Only program, one must have income below what is known as the income cap. This number is indexed for inflation and for 2012 is $2094 per month. It is important to note that income refers
Medicaid – You Can’t Turn Back the Clock
A very important concept to understand is that when we apply for Medicaid, as of that pick up date - the date we want Medicaid to start paying the nursing home - all transactions are written in stone. We can’t change them. What do I mean by that? Let's say, for
When It Comes to New Jersey Medicaid What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You
We were discussing how Medicaid in New Jersey, and around the country, is a constantly changing landscape. Clients hire us for our experience in navigating through this maze and guiding their applications to success (ie. Medicaid approval). An important point to remember is that the Medicaid caseworkers don’t know all
New Jersey Medicaid – More Grey than Black and White
As an elder law attorney, when clients come to us for guidance on long term care and government benefit programs such as Medicaid, I often must first explain how much uncertainty there is. That is a difficult concept for many because we have been taught to believe that the law
How many New Jersey Medicaid program are there?
As New Jersey elder law attorneys, we regularly work with the Medicaid programs that provide long term care benefits. We categorize them as institutional Medicaid and community waiver Medicaid. Institutional Medicaid covers long term care in a nursing home. New Jersey is an “income cap state with a medically needy
New Jersey Medicaid – The Basics
As New Jersey elder law attorneys, a large percentage of the inquiries we receive from families with a loved one dealing with Alzheimer's, dementia or other incurable long term illnesses in the Northern New Jersey area, concern the various Medicaid programs that cover long term care. Contrary to popular belief, Medicaid
Is it Spent Down or Isn’t It?
If I owe someone money but it’s still in my account do I really still own it? Would the answer be different if that “someone” is the IRS? June called me concerning her dad. “He’s in a nursing home and has spent down his assets,” she said. “I applied for Medicaid