Russo Law Group, P.C. is pleased to share this article on behalf of guest author Don Poole. It is becoming more competitive to get access to the best long-term care providers, as 10,000 Baby Boomers turn age 65 every day…
Many people that I meet have either heard of or think they know something about Medicaid’s 5-year lookback rule, but most people do not know exactly what it means. For example, they may not realize that there are certain transfers…
The Department of Health, overseer of the Medicaid program in New York, recently issued GIS 16 MA/010 updating the actuarial life expectancy table.
“So what,” you say?
The Supplemental Security Income program, known as SSI, is a federally administered program.
Unlike Medicare or Medicaid, SSI is a federal welfare program that pays monthly cash benefits to individuals who fall within 1 of 3 categories:
As in years past, the government continues to look for ways to restrict Medicaid eligibility and benefits. This year has been no different. There were proposals to further restrict Medicaid eligibility and coverage. As part of the governor’s annual budget, the New York State Senate and Assembly were presented with a plan to:
Fortunately, both houses rejected these proposals. But this may not be the end of the story.
When speaking with clients about the complicated Medicaid rules, availability, and exceptions, they often reply something like, “Wow, there’s so much to know.”
Clients come to us because we know the rules, and more importantly, we know the exceptions.
Many families assume it’s better to disinherit their child with special needs. Their intentions are loving—they don’t want the child to lose their government benefits as a result of inheriting; they don’t want to do their child more harm than good. They think it would be better to leave everything to their other children, trusting that those children will take care of the child with special needs.
The federal government recently addressed a very expensive glitch in the systematic treatment of patients in hospitals throughout the country, which mandates that hospitals provide notice as to a patient’s observation status.
As we discussed in our blog post on May 31, 2013, “Status Does Matter: Observation v. Admission”, there is a big problem that many Medicare recipients have been facing: patients are footing the bill. The problem is that patients are footing the bill for rehabilitation services in a skilled nursing facility when they are under the impression that these services are covered by Medicare. At the heart of the problem is that the hospital never actually admitted the patient, and coded them with a status of “under observation.”
Often times when clients make an appointment with our law firm, they have a very specific estate planning concern or issue. They may have a particular focus in mind, such as updating a will or avoiding probate. With a plethora of details to consider, it is often challenging for individuals to adequately address all aspects of their personal “big picture”, i.e. their complete estate.
For most seniors, obtaining Medicaid to pay for nursing home care is a must. Very few people can afford to pay privately for extended long-term care, which is not covered by Medicare.
The nursing home may provide you with a list of attorneys to assist with the filing of a Medicaid application. It is suggested that you obtain three attorney references in writing.
A key question for the family to ask is: Do any of the attorneys on the list currently represent the nursing home?