Follow
Share

My mother has $50,000 in savings. When this is used up in the nursing home, she will still get $1400.00 per month social security. At that time, will she be kicked out of the home that she is in?

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Find Care & Housing
depending on the type of home she is in whether they accept Medicaid or not, if not, find another one asap because sometimes there are waiting lists. then find a good elder attorney to help with all that you need to have for the Medicaid stuff. they will be able to tell you exactly everything you need, this way you won't accidentally miss something on your own. wishing you luck. but I would get started right away in all of this.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

Yes, the short answer is they kick people out of "private pay only" nursing homes once the private money runs out. You have to move the patient at that time. Step one is ask the home "do you accept Medicaid". With only $50,000 in private assets, you are going to need Medicaid in roughly one year or so. A few homes accept Medicaid if you have lived there for more than two years on private pay but not otherwise.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

Talk to her social/case worker supplied through the home where she is or supplied by hospice. Make sure you have POA in medical and legal (forms free online just get a notary) or they can't really talk to you. Or, contact your department of aging in your county--they are the ones who helped me with my wife. She qualified for Medicaid and in-house and/or a home-- care with her low social security and my modest income and expenses. Some homes accept Medicaid and some don't.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

I have just gone through the process of Medicaid application. I can tell you this. Save every receipt that you spent anything on for your mom. Including the statements from the home. You shouldn't have any trouble getting that. You have to get bank statements back for 5 years. They do that for free. I also needed all my Car loans, real estate tax receipts, annuity quarterly statements back for 5 years, the last 5 years of your Federal and state income tax filings, every piece of paperwork you have. Save all medical receipts, pharmacy etc. You can use them as a medical deduction when you file your federal income tax if your income is less than 60,000. It is intense. Now I have filed and my next step is to show all the receipts to prove what I spent money on! That is the part that I really dread. Finding them and proving it. Very nerve racking. It shouldn't be so bad for your mother. It is much simpler than me because I filed for my husband and everything had to be split according to their rules. The nursing home helped me file. Good luck!
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

Lamb - please try to rad the many articles on this site that discuss medicaid & Medicare. The M&Ms work in tandem to provide for services yet are very different entitlements.

Please make sure this NH accepts Medicaid & takes admissions as "Medicaid Pending". If not, you will need to find a new NH that does. Personally if this current one doesn't take Medicaid, I'd move mom now & before she has spent all her $.

For NH medicaid, they are required to be "at need" both medically and financially. For medically this means requiring skilled nursing care - if mom is already in a NH then she meets this criteria. For financial, it means they are impoverished. Impoverished usually means with no more than 2k in nonexempt assets and then under whatever moms state has set as its monthly income ceiling for Medicaid.

Medicaid although a joint federal & state program is administered by the states AND each state runs its Medicaid program uniquely. Most states have the monthly income ceiling at about $ 2,100 a mo. So your mom at $ 1,400 should be ok. But find out the exact amount from your states medicaid website. But she will need to provide info in her application as her life insurance having no cash value; ditto for her funeral & burial policies, etc...all this is to clearly establish she has no other resources.

Really imho for an individual who has been in a facility (IL, AL, NH) and has been basically spending down their $ to pay for the facility, the Medicaid application is pretty straightforward. Still a butt-rash to get things together but totally do-able by the DPOA. I'd suggest than when mom gets to having the $ for her last 3 mos at the NH, you speak with admissions as to what documents will be needed to submit with the medicaid application so you can start gathering these & so NH is aware that mom will be going from private pay to being "medicaid pending".

Also once on medicaid, all moms SS income must be paid to the NH as her co-pay. Her SOC (share of cost). All she will get is a small personal needs allowance that ranges from $ 35 -105 a mom (varies by state). For my mom it's was $ 60 a mo which really is just enough for monthly hair salon visits & replacement of some toiletries. So think if mom needs things for the future that she can spend on now.....like extra pairs of eyeglasses, dental work, a better quality walker or hearing aids, or even several pairs of shoes. If she still has a life insurance or funeral premium to pay, you kinda end up paying this to keep policy in force unless you can pay it out in full before she files for Medicaid.

Also states can do a annual Medicaid renewal. So keep a binder going on mom and her documentation going to lessen stress. Good luck.
Helpful Answer (5)
Report

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Ask a Question
Subscribe to
Our Newsletter