Posts by Hurley Elder Care Law
Expert Tips for Georgia Medicaid: Getting Medicaid Even When You Have Too Many Assets
To qualify for nursing home Medicaid, applicants must show that they have a limited amount of countable assets. These rules can be very confusing, and most families worry that their loved one cannot qualify for Medicaid. Currently, Georgia residents must have less than $2,000 in countable assets in order to qualify for nursing home Medicaid.…
Read MoreExpert Tips for Georgia Medicaid: Getting Medicaid Even When You Have Too Much Income
Medicaid is a means-tested, government-provided health insurance benefit. It is the largest payer of nursing home care in Georgia. It is also commonly misunderstood. For instance, many people believe that they may have too much income for Medicaid. It is true that Georgia has an income cap. For 2018, that income cap is $2,250. This…
Read MoreExpert Tips for Georgia Medicaid: Three Ways to Protect Your House From Medicaid Estate Recovery
The rules about home ownership and Medicaid often confuse families. Here are the basics: A person can own a home and qualify for Medicaid, BUT that home may be vulnerable to Estate Recovery after the person dies. In other words, a nursing home resident can own a home and still get Medicaid benefits. The home…
Read MoreExpert Tips for Georgia Medicaid: Giving Your Assets Away and the Dreaded Medicaid Look Back Period
I am still so surprised by how much misinformation there is about Medicaid’s Look Back Period. Is it 3 years? Is it 30 months? What exactly is the Medicaid Look Back Period? As we all know, Medicaid is a means-tested program that provides health insurance to those who qualify for it. That is, you…
Read MoreExpert Tips for Georgia Medicaid: Giving Your Assets to Your Spouse and Understanding the Maximum CSRA [Community Spouse Resource Allowance]
It is true that Medicaid is intended to be health insurance for the very poor. It is also true that Medicaid has become the default long-term care insurance payer for millions of middle class families. In the Metro Atlanta area, nursing home costs can run $10,000/month. With such high costs, it is no wonder that…
Read MoreWhen Elder Care Professionals Face Aging Issues in Their Own Families
It seems like I should be better at this. For years I have been helping other families care for their aging parents. I know the signs of dementia, I know the best providers, I know the resources in Atlanta, but I do not know how to help my own parents. I can see that they…
Read MoreProblematic Siblings: How having a brother or sister can actually make it worse…
Oftentimes, “only children” will tell me that they wish they had a sibling to help them shoulder the burden of caring for an aging parent. I chuckle in my head at this naive assumption of teamwork and cooperation that “only children” can hold of siblings. Sure, some families do have strong sibling support systems that…
Read MoreStaff Spotlight: Three Generations in One Office
It is unique to have a grandmother, daughter, and granddaughter working in one office. We feel so impressed and fortunate that for the last 11 years, Sandi Nelson, Dawn Houston, and Theresa Denlinger have done just that at Hurley Elder Care Law. After years of working as a nurse in the WellStar Health System, Dawn…
Read MoreFive Tips for Helping Your Divorced, Aging Parent
My parents have been divorced for over three decades, and my mom has been very self-sufficient until recently. After a few scary instances with her heart and then a fall, we both decided that she should move from her home in California to Roswell to be closer to my family and me. I am glad…
Read MoreWorking with a Professional Trustee
It is news to many individuals that you can hire a professional to be the trustee or executor of their estate. Whether a will or trust is completed, everyone needs a representative to handle their estate after their death. For most individuals, this representative is a family member. If someone has no reliable family members…
Read More
