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I have a meeting in the morning with the administrator and received an email with links to download the paperwork we will be discussing tomorrow. My husband will be a private pay resident with a very generous long term care policy. I will be making up the daily discrepancy from the 356.35 he is allowed per day out of pocket and will not be reimbursed for the approximate $70 daily. I will be paying them a month in advance for his care. I am not comfortable disclosing all of our assets to them. Can they legally demand this and refuse to admit him without this information? We are in Indiana. What is a more acceptable and less invasive "proof" of our ability to pay.

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Good question, though I think the facility wants to be sure they'll be compensated for the service they provide uninterrupted. No matter what, it is a business first and foremost.

If you get a chance, look up the laws for NHs in IN
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BurntCaregiver Feb 27, 2024
@cover

There is a LTC policy that does not cover the $70 a day of cost.
All the OP owes the nursing home is proof that there's enough income for the $70 a day to be paid. Nursing homes do not have any right to demand that a family give them full access to their bank accounts and a full listing of every asset they have.
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In CT, we needed to disclose enough of mom's assets that they could see that she had enough to private pay for 2 years before she would need to apply for Medicaid (no LTCi involved).

How long will his LTCi pay?

What is your discomfort in revealing your assets (without account numbers, of course)?
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BurntCaregiver Feb 27, 2024
@Barb

Really? Are you talking about an AL in Connecticut or a NH?
My father was in a NH in this state and I disclosed no such thing. I insisted on a written bill and it was paid every month. He did not have enough assets to pay anywhere near to years of private pay.
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Sanjay, another point

Have you seen an Elder Law attorney to see if dividing your assets is a good way to provide protection for you?
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Download forms.
Take in all your LTC forms.
Sit through all the discussions with the paperswork until you are comfortable.

And the answer is yes, they will want full financials. All information including the LTC insurance.
That is the way of it.
You don't need to provide it and they don't need to accept your applications.
This is a business deal.

If you need advice of Elder Law Attorney, Care Manager, anything else, do get it now. Worth the money to keep YOURSELF protected in all this.

I know how you feel. When my brother and I were looking for his accommodations I got to telling folks "You are looking at about a million dollars on the hoof". But when it comes down to actually APPLYING, yes, they get the information or you don't get the accommodation. You are looking at reams and realms of paperwork ahead. I am sorry and wish you luck with it all. And I FEEL you.
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BurntCaregiver Feb 27, 2024
@Alva

Allowing the business office to know what their monthly income is and what the LTC policy will pay is all these people need to know.

They do not need anyone's Social Security numbers or banking information. They do not need to know nor do they have any legal right to know what a person has in their bank accounts or about any other assets they are holding.

They need to show proof that they can pay the $70 a day that the LTC policy does not cover. That is the extent of the business transaction the OP has with the nursing home.
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You do not have to disclose your financial information to any care facility and you do not have to give a care facility ANY access (direct or indirect) to your bank accounts or other holdings.

Clearly you did your homework and found out how much the daily cost is for your husband to be at the facility, how much the policy pays, and how much will be out of pocket. Don't pay once cent more than is owed.

Do not pay a month ahead either. Out of the question and you should refuse that. Think of it like this. If you go to a hotel for a week, do you pay for two weeks in case you may want to stay longer?

Instruct the nursing home to send you a written bill weekly, bi-weekly, or even monthly for the amount owed? Then you pay them with a bank check. DO NOT give any care facility any access to account numbers. This is your right to do so. Do not let them coerce you or trick you into signing any documents that you have not thoroughly read over or do not understand.
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The facility just wants to make sure somebody has enough assets to pay the bill. I remember when I had to fill out those forms for my mom, I understated the value some of her assets, and just plain did not disclose other accounts. I listed just enough to let them know that the bill would be paid every month. They had no problems with my paperwork.
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Because it is a contract, I imagine they can ask for the financial information. Like others, I recommend talking with an elder law attorney (https://www.naela.org/) and having him/her look over the paperwork.

That being said, I would only provide sufficient information to demonstrate you can pay for the care on an ongoing basis (at least for a year or two). NHs WANT private pay residents, so I doubt they will probe if you give them sufficient info.

Paying ahead is normal for at least some facilities. They will refund any over-payment when he is no longer there.

On your side of the equation - IF you are comfortable with walking away for this NH:

(1) I would get in writing that they will strive to provide all the necessary care for him "to attain or maintain his highest practicable physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being" (42 CFR §483.34) and not ask or require you to provide any private care. I wouldn't use the regulation's language as that will tip them off that you know your business and his rights, but find a way to amicable confirm that they will take care of him fully, and no private care will be necessary.
Note that while the law requires the NH to take care of him fully, the administrator of the "high-end" NH where my mother resided required some families to provide additional private care. Not only do I know this from those families, the administrator is on record (in a legal transcript) acknowledging this.

(2) I would make sure you can find out who actually owns the NH, and that you have the ability to communicate with the owner(s).
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I am with Dude here. I would only disclose what is rightfully your husbands. His SS, his pension, his 401k, his IRAs and the policy. Maybe ur bank statement. If they mount up to enough to get him in, thats all they need to know. If they ask for your info, tell them thats not needed because he has enough money to carry him thru for _____ matter of years. I so hope they are not asking for a SS number. You do not need to do this any longer. Its a number that should have only be used by the Government. Acct# to financials...black them out. No need for the AL to have that info.
I too suggest you see an Elder Lawyer
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Sankay: Perhaps you'll need to pose this question to an elder law attorney.
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Thanks so much for all the input! I didn't know I had these answers until today. Needless to say, I was ready to be really upset. However, the first thing the admin asked was If I had any questions. So, I brought those financial forms up. She looked them over and said that we do not need those filled out and she added that she didn't feel that that information needed to be in their files! And, that was that.
I am very well satisfied with how the meeting went and my husband is currently a resident in their memory care unit.
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Seek elder law attorney. Nursing homes can be $15-20,000 a month. They will bankrupt you unless you have a billion $$$
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