What You Do Not Know Can Hurt You!!!
This is PART FOUR in our blog helping middle classed family members understand how to qualify for Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California) to pay part or all of the cost for skilled nursing home care.
Always remember, you do not operate on yourself and we highly recommend that you get assistance from a qualified elder law attorney for your family’s Medi-CAL planning, allows you to legally qualify for the federal and state Medi-CAL Program.
There are several strategies a family can use to make sure their loved one can qualify for Medi-CAL Long Term Care Benefits.
- Intend to Return Home
If a single person receiving Medi-CAL care in a facility owns a house, this family home does not disqualify them form Medi-CAL, but could be subject to sale to pay for Medi-CAL expenses. The house is only protected if a qualifying child or dependent lives there or if the recipient intends on returning home. In California you must always have the Medi-Cal recipient (or their attorney-in-fact) sign an intent to return home.
Most families sell the home and end up with a large amount of cash that must be spent down before the loved one qualifies for Medi-CAL. Keeping the home avoids losing the entire value of it to spend down. By retaining the home, Medi-CAL recovery may not come after the full value of the home when the loved one dies.
Potential rental income from the house would also go towards paying the nursing home care cost and reduce the amount that Medi-CAL would have to pick up. This could mean that Medi-CAL recovery using this strategy might go after a smaller share of its cost in the recovery process.
In California, an experienced Elder Law Attorney may be able to help you transfer the home to an irrevocable trust to prevent Medi-CAL recovery on the family home.
- Medi-CAL Treatment of a Home
If the community spouse lives in the home then the home is exempt from determining Medi-CAL eligibility. It does not count as an asset and prevent the institutional spouse from receiving Medi-CAL help. On the other hand any other real estate property, not the primary residence, will have to be converted to cash and spent down before Medi-CAL will start paying the bill.
If the well spouse living in the home does not in turn need Medi-CAL help in the future then one of two things can happen to the house after the death of the institutional spouse. Legally Medi-CAL has a claim against the property for recovery services. At the death of the community spouse, the property cannot be sold until the lien is satisfied.
In California, if the property is properly transferred into a Medi-CAL Asset Protection Irrevocable Trust, the state does not consider the house an asset for recovery. Always work with an experienced elder law attorney when dealing with recovery issues. You can never assume what your state recovery program will actually do.
We invite you to take advantage of a free phone consultation or appointment for a free 30 minute consultation to review your individual situation and determine if you would benefit from our experience and legal services.
For more information go to www.la-lawcenter.com or call us at:
Local Phone: (818) 241-4238 or
Toll Free Phone: (877) 537-8283